Return from the Spirit World
by GDomarina
Summary: Aang's old friend, as well as his old feelings for her, from the past returns much to his surprise. He would've welcomed her back if there just wasn't one problem: she is an escaped spirit, and as Avatar, it's his duty to bring her back. But when the time comes, can Aang send his dearest friend away?
1. Chapter 1- Memories of a Long-Ago Spirit

_**Disclaimer: I do not own this humorous Avatar: The Last Airbender series and its characters. **_

* * *

"Ugh, this is so _depressing_!"

The seventeen-year-old Avatar smiled in the dark at his friend's impatience. Even though Sokka was twenty, he can still act like the same fifteen-year-old self back when he and his sister found Aang in the iceberg. The two were on guard atop a mountain overlooking an open field. About a mile away sat a small town in the Earth Kingdom.

According to the town's residents, there was a spirit that was snatching up one or two gemsbok bulls or a couple of wooly pigs once a week. Of course, it wasn't noticeable for the first couple of days, but after several weeks, the townspeople have grown desperate. Seeking help from the Avatar and his friends, they want whatever it is that's terrorizing their animals to stop.

The two young men sat under the moonlight. They were both quiet, with the occasional thrashing of Sokka's hands. The airbender didn't mind the warrior repeatedly repositioning himself in the dead of night, but the bender was growing tiresome. It was the fourth night they've been watching the town and the third night Aang hadn't slept in. _Come on, spirit. I'm getting really tired. Can't you hurry up and snatch an animal already? I just want to go to sleep..._

"Aang!" Sokka's hissing brought him back to his guard. "Look out the field! It's that same spirit that took me!"

The Avatar watched as the familiar ten-foot creature stalked its way towards the bulls' fence. The animals must've sensed the spirit creature coming nearer, they all panicked as they ran up and down the guarded fencing. "Sokka, go to the animals and calm them down! They might scare Hei Bai away, I'll go talk to him."

Nodding, the young warrior grabbed his wolf helmet and club and ran down the mountainside. Halfway down, he stumbled on something and fell on his behind before sliding all the way down. He crashed landed on the field with a loud _thud_. Fearing the ten-foot creature heard his friend, Aang glanced at it, but the creature didn't even look over their way. It was focused on the animals.

_What is he doing here? Is his forest hurt again or is this something new?_ Aang grabbed his glider and flew towards the creature, landing in front of him. "Hei Bai! It's me, Aang! What're you doing to these anima- aaah!" The Avatar was lifted up by the gigantic panda and thrown over his shoulder. From the ground, Sokka yelled for the airbender.

"I'm fine, Sokka! Go tell the townspeople that we've found out who's been taking the animals," he paused as Hei Bai began walking from the field towards the forest's edge. "Tell Katara I'll be back by dawn!"

As his last word escaped his mouth, the spirit creature ran into the forest, leaving Sokka to tend the animals. He groaned and looked at a wooly pig.

"What're you looking it?" The animal cocked its head at him as if to say _nothing, what're you looking at?_ and laid down. "Well, I am tired. Can I use you as a pillow until Aang comes back?" When the animal didn't respond, he took it as a yes. Sokka laid his head on the animal's soft fur and was immediately greeted by sleep.

A few miles from the town, the panda stopped and let Aang hop down. Nearby a couple of animals were sleeping by the trees. Aang glanced at them then at the spirit. "You took them to get my attention didn't you?"

Hei Bai's head bounced up and down. Then nodded towards another set of trees where an elderly man stood. Approaching him, the Avatar instantly knew who he was despite his traditional Earth Kingdom attire. "You're the Forest Spirit! Um, what are you doing here?"

The elderly man simply smiled at him. "Avatar Aang, thank you for meeting with me tonight. I know I am usually the one who advises people, however I have come to take desperate actions, as you've seen," his hands gestured at the resting animals. Hei Bai had laid down, sleeping.

_Oh how I want to sleep... Snapped out of it_. "What can I do for you?" Aang bowed at the spirit.

"A spirit friend of mine has asked for my assistance and I, in turn, am asking for yours. I know it is very uncharacteristic of me as a spiritual advisor to ask your help, however I fear a human spirit has escaped and have gone to live unknowingly with the living."

Aang arched an eyebrow confused. "Human spirit? There's such a thing?"

The elderly man laughed, exposing his toothless mouth. "Of course, where do you think humans go after their passing? Surely even you humans have spirits, no? Surely they have their own spirit world, different than my own of course."

The Avatar flushed. _Well who knew there was an afterlife after the living dies? Well, that does make sense to an extent..._ "So you want me to track this spirit because I'm the only one who can see spirits among the living? Then you want me to bring him or her or them back to you so you can send them back to the... human spirit world?" The elder man nodded. "How would I know if that's the spirit I'm looking for?"

The Forest Spirit gave a toothless grin. "Because it's Jing."

* * *

"Let me get this straight, the Forest Spirit wanted to get your attention by kidnapping animals then asked you to track down a human spirit who doesn't know she's a spirit in a human body. And on top of that, it happens to be your best girlfriend."

After Hei Bai had dropped Aang, and the kidnapped animals, back to the fields, he and Sokka took to the mountains where Appa was sleeping. While they rode on Appa, Aang explained the situation to his friend. It was nearing noon when the pair finally arrived United Republic of Nations. It was only a few years ago when this city was Yu Dao, a place where all four nations lived as one.

Now in the large living room, the two arrivers gathered up everyone in the house. Even after the war, the gang still stuck together, eventually building their own large two-story home in the outskirts of the United Republic of Nations. The only person who didn't stay with them permanently was Fire Lord Zuko and his on-again-off-again girlfriend Mai. They lived in the luxurious capital, Republic City.

Aang groaned. "She's not my _girlfriend_, Sokka. She was a good friend to me up until I disappeared." _I didn't even get to apologize to her, _he thought miserably_. The last memory she has of me was of that fight over a hundred years ago. I wonder if her spirit will even remember me... I kind of hope she does, but what if she's still angry with me?_

Across from him, Sokka smirked. Suki elbowed him and looked at Aang. "What happened to her?" _Oh he has that sympathetic look on his face._

"Yeah, Twinkle toes," added Toph from another couch. "Enlighten us with the story of Jing." _This gotta be good if a spirit asked its forest spirit friend to take animals in the hopes of the Avatar coming to the rescue._

"It's kind of a long story," he said. _I can't relive this. Not here, not when she's in the next room_. As if she knew Aang was thinking of her, Katara showed up in the doorway holding a tray of hot tea, empty cups, and a plate full of sandwiches.

She has been listening in on their conversation from the safety of the kitchen. As much as she loved Aang, she knew he had a past where he constantly traveled because of his nomadic side and accepted it. _I know he met a lot of people_, she pondered as she placed the cups on the trays. _No doubt he met with other girls, and with his friendly and easy-going personality, several of those girls might've actually__ liked like__ him. I don't mind, its in the past and he's here with me now. But why do I still feel uneasy?_ She heard her brother's voice and internally groaned. "She's not his girlfriend, _I_ am."

After a few minutes, she decided to show herself to the others. Cradling the tray, she placed snacks on the center table and took her place next to her boyfriend. He grinned at her as she cuddled near him. Katara looked into his grey eyes, feeling his arms wrapped around her. "You don't have to tell it if you don't want to," she told him.

He smiled. _Always the understanding one. But I want you to know and not worry about her_. "I'll tell you." He faced the others. Before he dove into his story, he gave his girlfriend a squeeze of reassurance, to which she accepted.

"Over a hundred years ago, when I was traveling in the Fire Nation with the monks, I met a girl named Jing..."

* * *

"Hi! My name's Jing! What's yours?" A girl with black hair came up to a young airbender. The boy had been crying on a pair of staircase, misery was written all over his youthful face.

When the girl spotted his tears, she sat next to him. "Here," she handed him a her handkerchief. After a couple of nose blows, the boy handed back the soaked handkerchief to the girl. "No you can keep it," she smiled warmly. "What's your name?"

"A-Aang."

"What's wrong, Aang?" The girl began rubbing the boy's back as he continued to sob.

"I- my sky bison, Appa, he- he was sick so the monks didn't let him c-come with us to the Fire Nation. I- I miss him. He's my only tr-true friend besides Monk Gyatso that is." The then ten-year-old hiccupped.

Jing grinned at him. "Aang, I'll be your friend."

The airbender looked at her through his wet, hopeful eyes. "Really?" She nodded and gave him a hug.

Since then, the two has become inseparable. During his trip to the Fire Nation, Aang discovered his new friend was a firebender. Excited the two new friends showed each other new stances for their respective bending abilities. When the airbender left the following week, the two kept in touch by mailing to each other. Occasionally, the airbender would visit his friend with the company of his mentor, Monk Gyatso. Over the course of two years, the young airbender and firebender have grown a unique attachment to each other.

The eve of Aang's departure back to the Southern Air Temple, the two friends sat on top of a rooftop overlooking the city. It was a peaceful night, one of Aang's personal favorites where all he does was sit back and enjoy the company of Jing.

"Hey Aang, you know you're my best friend right? And you know I don't want anything bad to happen to you right?" The young firebender asked.

He glanced at her. "Yeah," he laughed. "Remember when you saved me from that lion vulture when the circus was in town? I swore I thought I was gonna get skewered that time. The monks were so mad at me for getting myself into a dangerous situation like that, but they were _really_ happy that you got me out of it, so... Thanks again, Jing."

The girl blushed. The two became silent for several more minutes, feeling the cool breeze round them, until the firebender spoke up again. "I like you, Aang."

The twelve-year-old smiled. "Me too. You're my bestest friend. Don't tell Appa though." He whispered then laughed at his own joke.

But the girl shook her head. "Aang, I _like_ you. M-more than a friend." She watched his expression turn from amusement to confusion then panic.

"But you can't!" The preteen exclaimed loudly, shocking the girl next to him. "I mean, firebenders and airbenders, there's no such thing. They can't have a relationship. Airbenders are peaceful and tranquil while firebenders, they're- they're..."

"They're what, Aang?" She challenged. "Destructive? Impulsive? Tell me? Why can't you and I... Do you feel the same way or not?" Her voice was too much raw emotion for him to handle, he looked away. "I need to know, please just tell me."

The airbender winced at her almost-desperate tone. _Of course I __like__ you, Jing. I've always have... so why can't I just say it?!_ "...No, I'm sorry Jing, I don't feel the same way for you. I never will." When he heard no response, he took a chance and looked at his friend. He regretted it. Beside him, the young firebender was silently crying, her once bright-golden eyes were now dull, and it was his fault. "Jing, I-"

Without thinking, Jing slapped him across his cheek and jumped from the roof. Shocked, Aang didn't do anything but watch as his once true-friend made her way down the rooftop and into the dark streets never to be seen or heard from again.

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**AN: The Jing in my story is an original character, not related to the Jin in the series whatsoever, I just like the name.**


	2. Chapter 2- Confusion Within Him

Aang drew out a breath he didn't know he was holding. After he had finished telling the tales of Jing to his friends, he suddenly felt suffocated in the living room. Seeking for some fresh air, the airbender rose and left his friends without a single word spoken. He walked out to the front porch, leaning on the railing as he watched his neighbors walk about in the afternoon.

He shook his head. _I'm so sorry for leaving you Jing_, he thought miserably. _I'm sorry for hurting you, for letting you down, for lying. Please forgive me, Jing_. He recalled having climbed down the roof as a twelve year old and meeting up with his mentor and good friend, Gyatso. The young ward didn't tell his guardian about his falling-out with the firebender as his reason for being upset. The elder monk didn't ask, only assuming that the young airbender and firebender were simply upset at having to be separated again.

But if it were up to Aang, he would've returned just as he'd always have and apologized for being such a jerk to her. Then Jing, as fun and child-like as Aang was, would smile and make fun of him. _But I couldn't. I didn't even bother to think about going to her after what happened a week later_.

A week after his return to the Southern Air Temple, the monks revealed him to be the Avatar. Those three simple syllables impacted his life so much he had ran away from the only family he'd ever known. The voice of the Guru rang in the back of his head. _The air nomads' love for you has not left this world, it is still inside of your heart, and is reborn into a form of new love_

A soft hand placed itself on his cheek. He turned around and blinked, not noticing tears falling from his cheeks. Katara was standing there with a warm smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, placed his head on his shoulders and held him as he quietly sobbed his grieves out. They held each other for another minute before letting go.

"I- I'm sorry," he sputtered helplessly as he wiped the streaks of tears on his face.

"It's ok, Aang." She whispered adoringly. "Just know that I'll always be there for you, ok? You can tell me anything and I won't judge you. Your feelings for Jing, they're in the past... right?" Grey and blue eyes looked deeply into each other.

"I loved her, Katara," he admitted. "She was the first girl I've ever loved, maybe as a friend or maybe even more than that I'm not so sure." Katara was about to look away when Aang cupped her face. "But I will never love her as much as I do you. She may be the first, but you're my last. I promise you, I will be there to tell you how much I love you each night, everyday, until I die."

Katara thought her chest was going to explode by the way her heart was expanding. She knew Aang love her, he had asked her to be his girlfriend after all. But she had no idea the extent of that love until that very moment on the front porch with him. "I love you, Aang, always." She tiptoed up just as Aang bowed his head. The two lips met, slowly, but full of undeniable passion. When they broke, both gasped for air and wore flustered expressions. Spotting that the other had reddened during their kiss, they both blushed even more.

"Aang! Aang!"

The Avatar's head looked at the direction of a figure rushing towards them. Seeing the serious look on his friend's face, Aang furrowed his brows. "Zuko? What's wrong?"

The Fire Lord stood in front of them panting lightly. "The marketplace. An elderly woman was causing a scene. She kept begging for someone to help her, but no one could understand what she was saying because she was so hysterical."

"Maybe she didn't get the deal she wanted." Sokka chuckled. Aang looked over his shoulder, his friends have gathered in the front of their shared home.

"Actually, that's what we assumed at first," Zuko said. "But she kept on going on and on until the guards finally called for my help. I went down there and as soon as she saw me she dragged me across the marketplace to her house."

"Huh," Toph crossed her arms. "Why would she drag you to her house? Unless someone there is sick or something."

Zuko's shoulders slackened. "It's her granddaughter. But she's not sick. More like possessed by something. She's awake and all, just not herself anymore."

"Possessed? Like a spirit or something?" Suki questioned the Fire Nation ruler. Just then something clicked in almost everyone's minds and glanced simultaneously at Aang.

_This is it_. "Show us where she is." Aang declared as he took Katara's hand and half ran to a nearby stable housing the Avatar's sky bison. After Zuko called for his guards to meet him by the elderly woman's house, he hopped on the back of the flying creature. The others kept Zuko informed by explaining their current situation while Aang rambled helplessly in his own thoughts.

_How was she able to obtain a body, especially a living one where no doubt another soul lives? Did she intentionally come to Republic City because __he__ was there? Can spirits even do that? _Aang suddenly groaned and clutched his head.

"Hey," Katara squeezed his hand. "Your head is hurting?"

"Y-yeah," he grimaced. "I think I can feel her nearby... Hey, Zuko, how much further are we?"

"Um," the young ruler looked at the houses and pointed at a dark orange home. "Over there." The sky bison landed on the streets. Lucky for them, the Fire Nation guards have established a perimeter in front of the house, leaving a convenient landing for the one ton animal.

"Arg!" Aang felt like his head was going to explode. _What's happening to me? I've never felt this way every time I meet a spirit before... then again most of the spirits I've met were in the spirit world..._

"Aang?" A worried Katara held on to him as he stumbled down Appa's head. "Do you wanna sit this out for a few minutes? You don't have to go directly there." Secretly, the waterbender feared the incoming reunion of the two estranged friends. _I know Aang loves me, but he admitted to loving her at one point in his life. I don't think I can stand standing in a room where another girl loves him._

"I'm fine." He waved away her distress over him and straightened. "Please come with me." _I don't think I can do this alone._

The waterbender beamed up at him. _He'll always be mine and I his_. Together, the small group of friends walked up to the opened front door. An elderly woman appeared, her eyes widening when she saw the approaching Avatar.

"Please! Please!" She hastily took Aang's hand and walked him into the small living space. Aang gasped at the sitting figure on the couch. Hearing the noise, the being looked up, narrowed her eyes as if focusing on something far away and gasped herself.

_I know those eyes_. Despite not knowing the girl prior to that moment, the Avatar can see the familiar determination and adventure behind those green eyes. _It's... it's..._

"Aang? Aang!" The girl flung herself from the couch at the still-shocked airbender. After a moment's hesitation, Aang grinned and wrapped his arms around the petite girl hugging him and spoke the name of someone he thought he'd never see again.

"Jing."


	3. Chapter 3- The Girl

"_You're_ Jing?!... Huh, she kinda looks pretty-" Sokka saw the look his sister was giving her and quickly added, "huggable." Next to Sokka, Toph punched him on the arm. "Ow!"

"Aang," the voice of the young girl caught all their attentions. "Is that really you? I don't believe it, it was such a weird phenomenon. I felt like I was asleep for a long time and woke up in a strange place. I- I don't understand. You look so much older and-" Her hands drifted up to cup Aang's face. "So handsome."

The airbender blushed then took the hands cupping his face down. "Jing, these are my friends. Suki, Sokka, Toph, Zuko," he gestured at each one of them then gazed lovingly at the waterbender. "And this is my girlfriend, Katara." At hearing the word _girlfriend_ from Aang's lips, Katara couldn't help but give Jing a look of triumphant.

Seeing her glow at her specific title, Aang nearly laughed. But the tender fingers by his elbows stopped him from actual laughter. He cast a sympathetic look at the young face before him. The girl seems like she's only fifteen or sixteen years old. _Now she's being taken over by a spirit of my age._

"What's going on here Aang? How'd you survive the Fire Nation attack? I heard- I heard that every airbender died." She was close to tears at remembering the awful feeling she had had when she heard the news.

A small squeak took Aang's momentary attention to a corner of the room. The elderly woman sat sobbing next to a smaller boy. "Suki, stay here with them. I want to make sure that no other spirit will seize control of their bodies," the Avatar ordered. "Zuko, find the Fire Sages and ask them if they know anything about spirits returning to the living form and how to bring them back to the spirit world. Come on guys, follow me." He abruptly turned and started walking out the door.

Sokka picked up the pace so he was in step with his friend. Usually he would ask Aang where he was taking them, but after a while, he lost interest in asking for he knew Aang always had a reason for bringing them there. Instead he took up the role of the Avatar's personal bodyguard, to which his friend accepted. The five bodies were met outside with an enthusiastic Momo and a roaring sky bison.

"Appa?!" The girl ran through the airbender and warrior to the large creature. Appa roared and sniffed the giggling girl. Sensing no threat, he decided to let the girl pet his nuzzle.

"Jing, we're leaving." Jing flashed her eyes at a pair of gray ones. He took Jing's arms and gently carried her onto Appa's saddle before taking his assigned seat on his animal guardian's head with Katara. The flight lasted for several long minutes. Tension and awkwardness building between everyone. The only noises came from Sokka and Momo playing around and Appa's occasional roars. Up front atop the one ton creature's head held a silent conversation between a couple.

_How are you doing so far? Are you ok about all of this?_ Aang's thumb stroke Katara's tan palm as gray and blue stared at each other.

The young woman sighed. _I'm fine, just not comfortable at the moment. I'm sorry, I'll try but I wont make any promises on being friendly with her._ She absentmindedly traced Aang's hand tattoo with her free hand.

Aang chuckled at her attitude. _Jealousy doesn't fit you, my love_. He smiled adoringly at her. Katara could feel heat rising up her cheeks. He bent down and gave her a soft peck on the lips, to which his lover's respond was blushing even more. Aang's eyes twinkled. _Are you comfortable yet?_

Katara rolled her amused eyes wanting to show some irritation, but her broad smile said otherwise. _Yes, I'm starting to feel quite comfortable. Thank you._ She returned her gratitude by kissing him on his cheek, the same cheek she's been kissing since they were kids, and the same cheek that was quickly reddening.

"Aang? Please tell me you have a place to land," moaned Toph from the back. The Avatar let out a hearty laugh. Despite his earthbending mentor constantly flying on Appa in the past and present, her stomach wasn't still used to the idea of being thousands of feet above the earth.

"Actually, we're here." Aang took the reins and guided the flying beast down on a patch of grass surrounded by tall trees. Everyone hopped off of Appa, one of the first being Toph who all but made a belly flopped on the dirt.

Sokka took a look at their surroundings. His lips curled upwards. _Just like old times_, he thought reminiscing back to when he was helping Aang master the four elements. He glanced over his shoulder. _Or at least what seemed like the old times._ He watched as Katara gave a small yet meaningful touch on Aang's arm, who leaned down and pressed his lips on hers. He didn't have to wonder how that small, meaningful touch felt like, he'd shared it with Suki and some time ago, with a certain Northern water tribe princess.

The gang automatically went to work on setting up camp. Aang built the fire while Sokka pulled the tents out. Both girls came and went, delivering baskets filled with edible berries until they had a basket per person. Aang had Jing help Sokka, who instructed her how to put up a tent. After a few failed attempts, the warrior decided to make it himself, only asking for the nails handed by Jing to keep the shelter down.

"Whew! I don't think I've set up a tent since two years ago." Sokka smiled happily to himself as he plopped on the earth bench Toph bended for them.

The sky was already dimming into the night. After Toph's light insult relating Sokka's building abilities, the group was once again engulfed in awkward silence except for the crackling of firewood and the accompanied animals' snores.

The silence was only broken by a completely confused Jing. "A-Aang?" Her voice shook when four pairs of eyes landed on her. Even Toph's milky white pearls managed to make their way to the new person with them. "I still have no idea what's happening here." Katara let out a scoff. Jing glared at her.

"Ahem," Aang stepped in before either bender engaged themselves in a battle. He slipped his hand underneath his girlfriend's clenched fist, automatically loosening her grasp. "Ok, first tell me what happened to _you_, after the war started, after... after I left."

Jing thought about it. "Huh, I know I remember it. It just seems so foggy when I try to remember it."

"Focus," Aang started leaning towards her, his hand still connected to Katara's. "Zone out everything you hear, everything you see at the moment. Just ignore everyone here and focus on me. Maybe I can get something from you."

"But you're not psychic- ow!" Sokka rubbed his bruising forearm as Toph moved a figure to her lips, gesturing for him to keep quiet and just watch. _Ugh,_ he internally groaned. Between Toph's bone crunching punches, Suki's death glares, and Katara's drowning lectures, it's a wonder how he managed to survive all those years ago. He kicked his thoughts aside and paid attention to his friend.

"Why would you 'get something from me'? Wouldn't you have to look into my mind- my soul- to see..." she trailed off suddenly. "Unless- unless I'm a..." Her eyes met with Aang's, who nodded sympathetically. "I'm a spirit aren't I?" Her voice spoke in a whisper. If Aang wasn't leaning in on her, he wouldn't have heard what she said next. "Which was why that poor old lady was screaming for her granddaughter to come back and for me to leave. I thought _I_ was the granddaughter in another person's house. But it seems like... like_ I'm_ in someone _else's body... I'm dead aren't I?"_

Aang stiffened at the last words spoken. His heart twisted as he watched silent tears fall from the corner of her eyes. _No you're not dead, it's just a horrible nightmare of ours. We'll wake up on the rooftop and laugh about it in the afternoon._ Aang felt a squeeze from the girl holding his hand. _No. __No__ more lies_, he silently thanked Katara for always being the voice of reason even without speaking.

When he realized that Jing was waiting for him to answer, he took a deep breath. "Yes, Jing. You- You're dead... for over a hundred years now. That's why everything looks so strange, how Appa's so large now, how I'm biologically seventeen - even though chronologically I'm a hundred-and-seventeen. I know it's an awful feeling, knowing that you're ali- here while all of your friends and family aren't." Aang was careful not to say _alive_, instead he used the word _here_ to represent her physical presence.

"No... No! I'm _not_ dead! I'm right here, Aang! I'm breathing in a perfectly good body! I am _not_ dead!" Jing stood up, tears flowing freely down her face. Aang had the urge to wipe them from her face and sooth her emotions. But he was so overwhelmed by the whole thing that his head started acting up again.

"Jing," he begged as his hands went to his temples. "Please calm down."

"No, Aang! You're wrong!" Suddenly the campfire exploded upwards. Just then Aang fell on his knees, yelling at the sharp pain in his head. Around their campsite, winds grew stronger, the earth rumbled without Toph bending it to, the water in Katara's water skin trembled, and the fire sparked out violently.

"Aang!" Katara grabbed Aang's shoulders and lifted him away from the fire. She prepared to shield him from the sparks when a strong gust of wind blew the large fire out. Glancing down at her arms, Aang lowered his tattooed limp, having bended his natural element to destroy the wild flames.

The last thing the Avatar saw were the same blue eyes that found him in the iceberg and heard the caring voice of the girl that held him after his century-long entrapment.

* * *

**_Disclaimer: I only own Jing, the rest goes to Avatar: The Last Airbender._**


	4. Chapter 4- Spiritual Guardian

"Ugh..." Aang grimaced. The pain in his temples exploded as he resumed consciousness. _What happened?_ Then like a dam bursting, all of the events from last night rushed back to him until the last moments of excruciating pain. Sitting up, he noticed that he was laying in a tent. Outside he heard the murmurs of people, specifically a familiar warrior.

"... wants to be left alone."

"Who wants to be left alone?" Three heads bobbed to the Avatar as he stepped out of the tent. He took in all of their tired faces, particularly at Katara, whose face had dried tear streaks. He sighed sadly, knowing fully well that she cried for his sake. She went over to hug him. "I'm sorry." He held her for a moment then released the hug to face the others, still keeping an arm around her shoulders. "Where's Jing?"

The warrior's face contorted as if contemplating if he should tell his friends the news or what. Lucky for him, his sister stepped in. "Aang, you should probably sit down for a bit. Does your head still hurt?"

The airbender complied, sitting on the earth bench but shook his head. "I think it's Jing," he theorized.

Intrigued, the earthbender spoke next. "What do you mean 'it's Jing'? Are you saying she's doing this to you? Is that even possible?"

Aang shrugged. "It's just every time I'm near her and she shows _really_ strong emotions, I feel it somehow. Back in Republic City, I felt her before I saw her and I had no idea why. Then last night, she was so upset - so _distraught_ - when she found out she wasn't alive that her spiritual energy just... attacked me... Does that make sense?" He darted a glance at his friends, receiving one confused, one concern, and one curious milky-eyed mien.

"So you can feel her?" Toph crossed her arms.

"I guess. Yeah, I suppose so." He paused briefly. "She wants be left alone, huh?" I wouldn't blame her, if it were me in her spot, I would probably do the same. "I guess if she doesn't come back by nightfall, I'll go look for her."

"No," the body he held close to his jerked. "Aang what if Jing displays another round of 'strong emotions'? You'd be left defenseless. I'm coming with you." Katara's voice left no room for discussion, but Aang knew he needed to do this alone.

"It's ok, I'll be fine," he gently reassured her. "Besides, if something happens to me, Toph can sense it, right?" He cast a silent plea of support before once again being struck that his friend was sightless. Somehow, and much to the relief of his, the earthbender caught up and agreed with him.

"Yeah, Katara. Don't worry, Aang is in good earthly hands."

The waterbender didn't answer vocally as Aang wrapped his muscular arms around her once more. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth Aang gave off. _I don't care if he's going to search for a polar bear pup. They can still be dangerous and strike at him at any moment. I can't let him get hurt... Oh Aang, don't leave me._

* * *

Jing slowly trudged her way around the trees, exhaustion creeping up on her after the sun had risen. _I hurt Aang_, she thought darkly to the previous night. _I made that campfire get wild and it must've gotten to him. But why was he clutching his head? Oh what does it matter?! He's hurt and it's all my fault because I couldn't handle... couldn't handle being dead..._ A sob escaped her lips. _Oh Mama, Papa, where are you when I need you the most? I'm so alone. At least Aang has his friends. I have no one but him, and he's most likely injured back at camp._

The girl was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't see the branch and tripped over it. "Ouch!" She took a painful blow to the knee. Upon inspecting it, the girl noted that she'd made a big gash. Blood was slowly seeping out from her wound.

A thought suddenly came to her. _Katara can heal this, she's a waterbender after all._ She shook it off. _No, I know she doesn't like me. I can already tell that even before we got here. Knowing Aang, he told them about me, and how I had feelings for him._

"But that's the thing!" She said to a nearby cat owl. "I grew up, I even married and had a beautiful baby girl. I no longer have any feelings for him."

The cat owl cooed as if to say _yeah right_.

The girl groaned. "Ok, maybe a little. But that's only because he was my best friend." She paused. "He kind of still is my best friend, but the important question is am I still _his_ best friend?" Once again the animal cooed. "I think I still love him... Ugh! Why is this so difficult?!" Her sudden exclamation caused the creature to panic and fly away.

She sighed. _Of course you left. It seems like everyone is always leaving me... Wow, that's a nice body of water_. Jing stumbled out into a clearing with a view to a large lake within Earth Kingdom grounds. Perched with thirst, she kneeled in front of the water and hastily cupped the liquid to her mouth. She continued this act until she was satisfied. The girl was about to stand and continue her thoughtful walk to nowhere when she caught a face.

Looking down, she saw a soft face with green eyes and dark silky hair tied in a bun reflecting back at her. Her features were, as Sokka mentioned before, pretty as well as young compared to the others at the campsite. _She's probably fifteen or sixteen and I took her life from here. No! She's not dead, not like I am._

Jing groaned loudly, tears threatening to spill out again. "Why am I even _here_?!" Her fists splashed on the water's surface, distorting the image of the girl's face. Feeling broken, she cupped her face and let the waterworks fall in between her fingers. She felt a light breeze and dismissed it as the weather's, however a voice called her name seemingly to have been carried by the wind.

She picked up her face, her eyes cloudy with tears and saw an elderly man in traditional Earth Kingdom attire standing next to her. She blinked to clear the moisture from her tears and found the man to be gone. "I think I'm imagining things." She frowned.

"I think not dear child."

The girl shrieked, having found the same elderly man in green and golden robes on her other side. "Who are you? What are doing here? How did you get here?"

The elderly man gave out a toothless grin. "I didn't expect you to know me firsthand since I originated from the northwestern parts of the Earth Kingdom and you from the Fire Nation. In fact the only reason I knew about you was because of a dragon," he lifted up an arm and pointed towards where she had come from.

The trees rustled and a cool breeze let out the head of a humongous beast. The creature's slender whiskers dragged on the sand as the head revealed it's true self towards the man and the girl, the latter taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Zan!" The firebender gleefully rushed towards her dragon guardian. Expecting to come into contact with her dragon friend, instead the physical fell forwards, her body going through the spiritual one of Zan. "What?" She furiously turned to the man. "Explain this!"

He simply sighed. For a brief moment, Jing wondered if the elderly being had rolled his eyes on her. "I am the Forest Spirit. I am here because your friend, and still guardian even in the spirit world, has contacted me when he realized you were missing. As a spirit who gives advices, I decided to act as a medium to get Avatar Aang's help in finding you. Also, I got here because, well, I'm a spirit, I can appear almost everywhere." He ended proudly, having answered her previous questions.

"Aang's the Avatar?!" Her facial features transitioned from shocked to disbelief to a new expression... content? The spirit man had no idea until she voiced her thoughts. "I guess I kinda knew that he was really special, even as we were kids. That was why I approached him when he was crying that first day we met, something about him drew me to him. When I heard the Avatar was an airbender, I had a feeling it might be him, but all the Air Nomads were wiped out so I never got my answer."

Zan's light red hue bobbed at her. Jing held her hand out to pet her dragon, then realized that her companion was merely a spirit and she trapped in a living body. _I miss you Zan. I wish I can touch your head right now, it always calmed me as a girl._

"But why Aa-... _Avatar_ Aang?" Her voice came out as a whisper. "Why not you get me yourself since you're already in the Earth Kingdom and Republic City is just around the mountaintop? And _why_ am I even here?"

"Getting you myself seems more logical, however you took a more living form, and for that, we needed the Great Bridge between the spirit and the living world: the Avatar. As for your being _here_ physically, you have some... earthly attachments and unfinished business to do. You have unresolved feelings for an adolescent airbender which left your spirit restless until the moment you... broke out of the spirit world."

Jing didn't answer to that, simply staring at the spirit form of her dragon. The Jing that used to always have a comeback at the tip of her fiery tongue was uncharacteristically quiet. "... Was I the first?"

The elderly man blinked but resumed his calm exterior. "Actually no, you're not the first. Maybe the first spirit to have escaped after the rise of the Fire nation over a hundred years ago, but certainly not the first." The girl nodded. "But you must resolve this quickly. The spirit world does not tolerate any escapees. For restless spirits like you, you are given five days to fix whatever it is you need done. This is your second day."

The girl's eyes widened. "What do you think I should do then?"

The toothless smile returned. _Ah, finally, something right up my expertise_. "I advise you to do as much as you can. Fix your scattered feelings. You have until this week's end, at sunset. Finished or not, you _will_ be forcefully returned to the spirit world. Trust me, it's an experience you do _not_ want to have."

He tilted his head at Jing, who was still looking fondly at her dragon. "I will give you a few more moments with Zan, then he will have to go too. It's been a pleasuring advising you, my dear."

The firebender turned to return her gratitude, but the Forest Spirit was gone. She sighed then gave her full attention to her very-missed red dragon.

* * *

**AN: Zan is another one of my original characters. I figured since Aang has Appa, why not Jing have her own spiritual guardian?**


	5. Chapter 5- Sokka Gives the Talk

**I'm sorry I left you guys hanging for almost a week. I've had writer's block. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Also, I will be updating this story biweekly on Tuesdays and Fridays. Maybe I'll sneak in a chapter on the weekends if we're lucky. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Aang felt more fidgety than usual. He would tap his foot every time he sat. And when he did stand up, he ended up pacing back and forth until Toph told him that despite his 'light foot', he was still getting on her nerves. The earthbender sighed in relief when he stopped and soon grimaced when Aang sat down and resumed his tapping.

"Hey, Twinkle toes," his former mentor called. "Use your excess energy to do some bending would you? I particularly prefer earth, unless you wanna try some metalbending. This place is getting too quiet for my taste and your foot is getting way too annoying for me to handle."

"Hey hot shot," Sokka called from behind him. He carried a bundle of sticks and threw them on the ground next to the airbender's feet. "Since you're so energetic, can you get the more woods for the fire tonight? Thanks buddy."

"Sweetie you sure you're ok? You should lie down." Katara knelt in front of him, taking one of his hands into her own.

Aang drew a breath at having been called at three different directions with three different nicknames. Normally he wouldn't have minded, especially Katara's nickname of his. He drew a breath and answered, "No, I'm fine... I mean I'm not fine... I don't know. Just confused... again."

Feigning a hurt yet understanding look on her face, Katara got up and walked away, keeping her head low as she sat down the opposite side of camp and occupied herself with the boiling pot. The earthbender and warrior looked at him with surprise, and in Sokka's case, a hint of betrayal at having hurt his sister. Toph waited for Aang to say something, but when he didn't, she followed Katara at the other side of the camp.

The airbender groaned in frustration as he held up his head with his hands. He felt a body place itself near him. "I'm so sorry, Sokka. I don't know what has gotten into me actually. No, that's a lie. I do know what's gotten to me; Jing."

The warrior placed a brotherly hand on his shoulders. "Wanna talk about it? You don't have to if you don't want to," he quickly added when Aang peered at him through his fingers. The airbender sighed, deeply confused. "You know Yue," he started when his friend didn't talk. "She was my first love in so many ways than one. For one thing she was kind and sweet. But there was a different side of her, she was adventurous. I mean, why would she climb on Appa and let me take her out on him if she wasn't, right? The point is I was madly in love with her and the fact that she was the princess and chose me said something, she wanted me too." His head bowed as he recalled the memories.

"The only problem was she was already engaged to a man she doesn't love as much as she did me. In the back of my head, I was tempted to take her with us, to travel around the world. But General Zhao attacked and... well you know the rest... Sometimes I wonder, what if she hadn't been sacrificed to becoming the moon spirit? What if she lived and didn't marry that guy?"

The airbender's eyes were filled with sorrow for the warrior. He hadn't realized how Yue had deeply affected him. This whole time, Aang thought his friend was happy with Suki, only to be revealed that his past romance with another water tribe girl has been haunting him. His shoulder's sagged. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

Their eyes met. Aang expected sorrowful blue eyes, instead he was greeted by a warm pair of blue orbits. "Don't be. In a way, I'm kinda glad things went the way they are right now. I was able to meet Suki and become friends with her. Along the way, I felt loved again, and I have no doubts about this girl... She's the one. I know it. She may not be my first love, but she's definitely my last."

The airbender nodded. He knew what the warrior meant by feeling loved again. He had lost his love for his people but found it in Katara. Deep down, he knew Katara was the one just as how Suki was for Sokka. It just troubled him how his past love came back. He may be the Avatar, but he was still a young man afraid of losing the ones he love, especially when it comes to the waterbender.

"Thanks, Sokka. I feel better."

The warrior grinned and clapped him on the shoulders. "That's my boy. Now, speaking of lovers..." Both males looked up at the returning females. Aang stood up and directed Katara away from their friends. Sokka watched them go. "Ah, young love."

The couple walked for some time before coming to a stop in front of a familiar lake. The airbender chuckled. "Remember the unagi attacking us here? Heh, it turned out Suki was acting body guard for Sokka. Who knew the two would end up kissing that next morning? They're well made for each other. Perfectly matched, those two. Now it seems like they're inseparable. A week apart drives them crazy, kinda like a certain couple I know." He squeezed her hand, which was laced with his.

The waterbender smiled at the memory, only to have that smile turn into a frown. The Serpent's Pass wasn't a place she likes to mule over. For one thing, it was a place were Aang was so... hopeless. He was so upset over Appa, he blocked his emotions from everyone, especially from her. The last they were through here, Aang was unconscious after Azula's lightning attack on him. Both occasions, Katara was filled with worry for her best friend. He was either lost or in the brink of death. But now, when the older waterbender peered into his gray eyes, he showed one primal emotion for her: newfound love and affections. It seemed like yesterday when the waterbender found this young boy - _no, young __**man**_, Katara corrected with a silent delight - in an iceberg four years ago. The bending couple remained speechless for several more minutes before speaking.

"I'm sorry." Both said at once then gave each other a beaming grin. He gestured for her to start. "Aang, I shouldn't have acted the way I did towards Jing. I was just jealous because she was your first love and all. I just-" She stopped when her mouth was met with a pair of soft lips. Her lips were still puckered after Aang released her. He chuckled when she blushed.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I made it sound like she's the only one I loved. But that's the thing, it's in the past. My love for her doesn't compare to one I have for you." His gray eyes sparkled and Katara bit back tears. "You're the only one for me. I swear to you. I love you."

His last words did it. Katara's tears spilled out and she hugged him close. "Oh Aang, I love you so much. I'm so sorry for being jealous like that. I should've trusted you better." She stayed quiet, inhaling his scent and just feeling the moment. Finally they let go. "I'll help you."

He blinked his moist eyes, having his eyes water up just like his girlfriend. "...What?"

"Come on," she grabbed his hand. "We gotta find JIng." He gave her a confused look to which she replied, "She's your friend, if you trust her, I'll trust her too. Come on."

Aang's smile went from ear to ear as he let the waterbender drag him along the perimeter of the lake. They walked on, calling for Jing's name every few minutes. The Avatar would also tune into his earthbending, trying to sense for the firebender's presence when finally- "JING!"

The firebender had let go of Zan hours ago and now sat by the lake's banks with her head in her arms. She looked up at the sound of her name. "Aang!'

The airbender turned to Katara and silently asked for permission. She nodded and with a gust of air, the airbender pulled the firebender into a hug. _They're just friends_, the waterbender reassured herself. _Just friends._


	6. Chapter 6- Restless Souls

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. Just Jing and her dragon guide.**

* * *

The journey back to camp was a silent one. After the short reunion between air and firebender, Jing told her new and old friends about the Forest Spirit's appearance, Zan coming back, and her short time in the living world to resolve whatever it is she had to do. Of course, _she_ knew what to do, she just didn't have the heart to tell the tattooed boy in front of him.

Aang walked in between two of the girls he'd felt loved and cared for in his entire seventeen years of living- not including the hundred years trapped in the iceberg of course. Alas, that still doesn't remove the aching nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Something doesn't seem right. Jing cried but she's not saying anything. Does she consider me as a friend or something more?... Ugh, girls are too confusing sometimes._

Inside the waterbender's mind, Katara rattled on endlessly with,_ she's hiding something. She's hiding something. _She knewit had something to do with the spirit world as well as Jing being here. But for some odd reason, Katara just couldn't tell what it was, she just couldn't connect the dots. _I'll have to keep a close eye on her..._

The three reentered the campsite to be greeted by a bored Toph and a wry Sokka. At the sight of them, Sokka brightened. "Finally! You found her, I thought I had to send Toph in and get the three of you! Can we go now? I wanna pick up Suki and sleep in the nice, soft bed tonight."

"Arg!" Appa stomped at the warrior who smirked.

"I know you're nice and soft - more on the fuzzy side but soft nonetheless - but I still prefer a bed." He turned to Aang, his eyes asking to leave once more. When the airbender nodded, Sokka packed the camp in record time and was already perched on Appa's head when Aang and the others got on.

They stopped over to pick up Suki and reassure the elderly woman and young boy that their family member would stay in their care and returned safely when everything was back to normal. The warrior traded Appa's seat with the Avatar for the one next to Suki. He was fusing over the Kyoshi warrior's hair when he yelled, "Um, Aang, our house is the other way. Aang?"

"We're going to meet up with Zuko!" The side of Aang's head glanced over his shoulder. "He should be finished talking with the Fire Sages."

Sure enough, the airbender brought the flying sky bison and it's passengers down in front of a five story building painted red and gold, associating itself with that of the original Fire Sages in the capital of the Fire Nation. Greeting them was a group of people dressed in Fire Nation attire; several Fire Sages, the Fire Lord's guards, and the Fire Lord himself. Zuko's eyes met Aang's. Neither said anything once the flying creature landed and led to a nearby stable especially made for the Avatar's animal guide. Their expressions were no longer that of young adolescents but of leaders setting off for a mission.

The Fire Sages led the group inside as the guards stayed put outside. Multiple staircases later, the Avatar, Fire Lord, and company found themselves standing at the second top floor where three hooded figures sat in the head chairs at front of the room. The Sages bowed as they left the company with the heads of the Fire Sages.

The bearded man in the middle spoke first. "It is always a pleasure for either the Fire Lord or the Avatar to visit us. But it is a sight to see when both powerful leaders come at the same time."

The man to his left continued on. "We know why you are here. It is about the escaped spirit-"

"I didn't escape on purpose," Jing mumbled. Unfortunately for her, the third man have heard.

"Intentional or not," the right-seated man replied. "It is still unacceptable to have one that is supposed to have passed from the living to the spirit world to be alive once more. After all, if spirits can come and go whenever they want, our world will be overrun by the spirits of the spirit world. There is a reason why our worlds are separated. It _has to stay separated_. Don't you agree, Avatar? You're here for that sole purpose, yes?"

Jing opened her mouth to retort when Aang held up his hand. _Not now,_ his gray eyes read. If it wasn't for his seriousness, Jing would've gone on. Thankfully though, she stepped down. He turned his head towards the High Sage and the two Great Sages on either side of him.

"High Sage, as the Avatar, I can be referred to as the literal line that divides the two worlds. However, I am called the Great Bridge between our world and theirs. There's a reason why I, Avatar Roku before me, Avatar Kyoshi, and all the Avatars, were called a great bridge."

The female firebender cringed at the amount of power being exerted by the one best friend she's ever had. Jing wasn't used to Aang... _Avatar_ Aang... like this. Taking a quick glance at the two warriors and the three benders, she had no doubt in her mind that they also held power in their own right. Jing stifled a silent moan. _Everyone here are of importance trying to handle a situation, __**my**__ situation._ Her attention reverted back to the conversation.

The High Sage stroke his salty beard. "Exactly _what _is that reason, Avatar?"

"Our worlds," the Avatar drew a breath to remain calm before continuing. "Isn't meant to be divided. Like a bridge, the Avatar, helps restless spirits cross whenever need be. This-" he gestured to the female firebender. "-is one of those rare occasions where a spirit returns. You know as well as I do how to go about this. Am I wrong? After all, Fire Lord Zuko came here for answers that you have."

The three Sages veered their heads to each other, suddenly committed to having their own private conversation. The Avatar took this brief recession to meet his friends' eyes behind him. They all smiled at him - Zuko patted his shoulder - as they put their unwavering trust towards the being in front of them. Hearing a short "ahem", Aang gave his full attention to the seated leaders.

"We know some answers about your-" the High Sage narrowed his eyes pointedly at Jing who flushed at the scrutinized gaze and looked away. "-friend. However, because of this being a very rare occurrence, we don't have the full answer."

The Avatar grinned. "Of course not, that's why you have us."

* * *

Several hours of discussion and tea-drinking served by none other than Iroh's extended Jasmine Dragon in Republic City, the gang retreated back to their home. The moon was at it's peak when Zuko decided to sleep in a reserved room specifically made for his visits.

The others retired to their respective rooms; the earthbender and the two warriors shared the first floor, with the couple sharing their own room. The other benders had their own individual rooms in the second floor. Despite Katara and Aang being a couple themselves, they reluctantly heeded to Sokka's request, claiming that his sister was still too young to be in a puppy-love relationship. The nineteen year old bender was a lemur's whisker away from blasting her ignorant brother through the roof.

Luckily for her, Aang had been sneaking into her room in the dead of night when the wolf-tailed warrior was snoring away below them. The warrior had no clue about the happenings upstairs as the sneaky couple exchanged spending nights in the airbender's sanctuary or the waterbender's tribal space.

Tonight was Aang's turn to come to Katara's. As exhausted as he was, he laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Once he felt everyone has settled into deep sleep, he proceeded to stalking out of his room. Aang merely took a small step out when he collided with a petite figure. "_Opph_!"

"Oh, hi Aang." Jing's green eyes shined even in the dark hallway. "Having trouble sleeping too?"

The airbender's mouth gaped open and close as he considered what to say next. "Um. Yeah, I couldn't sleep. I was just going to... walk around for a bit. You?"

Jing had let her hair down. When she shook her head in reply, her silk hair swayed with the motion. "Nope. I was actually going to head out for a fresh air... Wanna come? We can climb the roof. No more crates as stairs." She nudged her friend. _Wow, when did he get so tall? He's probably over a foot taller than me now._

As the firebender marveled at her friend's height, Aang's thoughts were divided. _I want to spend time with Katara. But I miss hanging out with Jing, especially our rooftop adventures... even though the last time we were on a rooftop, she confessed her feelings to me and all I did was shot her down. I can't shoot her down again. But Katara..._

"Yeah. Sure," he mumbled. Aang let out a gasp when thin arms wrapped tightly around his torso. "Just give me a minute." The airbender slipped back into his room and quickly wrote a note. He came out to a patient looking girl. "You go on ahead Jing, I'll follow you." When she gave him a quizzical look, he ushered her towards a window that can easily lead to the roof. "Go on."

Aang watched her go and sighed. He walked down a few feet until he stood in front of Katara's door. Gingerly holding the scroll, he slipped it through the crack between the entrance and the floor. "I'm sorry, Katara. Maybe next time."


	7. Chapter 7- Trusting You May Hurt

**_Disclaimer: I only own the idea of Jing and Zan, the rest goes to Avatar: The Last Airbender._**

* * *

The light shuffling and whispered voices in the hallway stirred the waterbender from her light slumber._ I must've drifted off waiting for Aang_. She glanced at the door. _Where is he? He should be here, or at least be on his way over. _Katara sat up on her bed, having heard the familiar voice of Aang and another one... a girl's. "Jing", she spoke the name as if it were one of Aunt Wu's deadly fluffy bunnies.

She begrudgingly laid her head back down with a light _humph_ escaping her lips. _Why do I dislike this girl so much? Is it because she had Aang first? But he views her as a friend even if she views him as something more. Is it because she's a firebender? That would make a lot of sense since water and fire doesn't get along very well, but still. Zuko is a firebender and I'm friends with him. Well, I'm friends with him once he joined the group._

_No_, Katara's other, more offensive side suddenly kicked into gear. _You trusted him back in Ba Sing Se where both of you were imprisoned by the Dai Li. You were the first to trust him - almost befriending him over your common misfortune of losing both your mothers in the war - and what did he do? He attacked us!_

_He didn't know what he was doing!_ The kinder, more caring Katara protested.

But the hostile-Katara made a noise, as if shaking her head in disagreement. _He was fully aware of what he was doing, and that was throwing fireballs at you and Aang. Don't forget he let Azula shoot Aang down! Zuko didn't bother lifting a finger to stop his own sister from killing him._

_But it didn't kill him! I saved him... Who's side are you on anyway?!_

The hostile-Katara scoffed. _Yours of course. I'm just warning you. Don't go diving head first into trusting others. You trusted Jet and where did that lead you? You trusted Zuko, Hama, and yet they still betrayed you at one point. Am I wrong to say this?_ When mellower voice of the two didn't say anything, the offensive-Katara pushed forward, with a soft, yet strict tone_. If you trust her, she may hurt you, hurt Aang_ - Katara's eyes glanced over at the entryway where a tall, dark silhouette stood outside - _Just be careful where you lay your trust._

Something small slipped through the cracks of her doorway and the dark shadow immediately left to where it came from. Katara slipped the covers off of herself and approached the scroll on her floor. She curiously took it and opened it. It was from Aang. The waterbender's expression shifted numerous times as her eyes travelled up the letter and down then back up again. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity upon finding the scroll, to confusion in reading the scroll, then a mild disappointment by the time she finished. She rolled it back up and returned to bed.

_I trust in Aang._

_I didn't say anything,_ the offensive-Katara replied in defense. _I just simply stated that you be careful where you lay your trust. And yes, I know you trust Aang and he trusts you. _The voice quickly added before she was interrupted._ But the question is, can you trust Jing as much as Aang does?_

_I just don't want him to get hurt again. __**I**__ don't want to get hurt again... What if I lose him? I can't lose him._ A tear slid down from her cheek. _He's more than my boyfriend... he's- he's my anchor, something to keep me grounded. He keeps me calm. Without him, I'm a mess. I won't be whole... Without him, I have nothing to live for. That's how much I care. That's how much I love him._

The revelation of her true feelings for the airbender was overwhelming, scary, and frankly, it was relieving. Katara hadn't known how her feelings have developed over the years after the end of the Hundred Year War. Sure, she's told Aang that she loved him almost everyday they were together, but the extent of her feelings hasn't been known until that moment.

Fear got caught up in her throat. Tears poured freely down her cheeks. Katara slowly cried herself to sleep, oblivious to the couple of benders atop her head.

* * *

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Jing dangled her toes from the edge of the two-story building. The benders had settled into the rooftop, simply watching the quiet night over the outskirts of Republic City and enjoying each other's company.

"Huh," the airbender cocked his head to the side. "I haven't really realized just how beautiful this is." _But not as beautiful as Katara. I wonder if she got the message. Maybe she's asleep, I should probably check on her once we get down from here._

The firebender giggled and elbowed him, reverting his thoughts back to the rooftop. "You lived here in Republic City longer than I have, and you're telling me you haven't seen the city at night?"

"I've always been busy with Avatar duties. I've hadn't really had the time to just simply... relax," he replied. Although his duties were noble, he still tire from it. At that thought, he tried to stifle a yawn, but his mouth still opened wide. He clamped his mouth shut with his hands. "Sorry."

Jing beamed up at him. "It's ok. So, you're the Avatar huh?"

Aang blushed. He'd forgotten about telling his friend about his new status, he was too occupied with either trying to locate her or trying to figure out her current situation of being here. "Yeah, I am," he answered after a while. He faced to Jing. "Do you want to know what happened? How I survived all these years?"

She nodded and he dove into his story. How Katara and Sokka found him and Appa after a century long entrapment in the iceberg. He went on, discussing his journeys with the young waterbender and warrior whom he'd grown close to. Aang told her about finding Momo, meeting Toph, the Freedom Fighters, losing Appa to sandbenders, surviving a lightning attack that should've killed him, traveling into the spirit world, struggling with his Avatar state, the day of black sun invasion, and the defeat of Zuko's father.

All the while, green eyes studied the airbender's facial features as he told the story to her. Anguish. Determination. Sorrow. Guilt. It was all written in his face. But there was also something else. Joy. Relief. Happiness. Excitement. Love. All of them, Jing noticed, surfaced at the mention of his closest friends, particularly whenever he mentioned Katara's name.

_He really loves her,_ Jing thought once he'd finished and both were consumed in their private thoughts. _From the beginning in the South Pole. From then on, it's always been her. He's so happy... Don't worry, Katara. I promise you nothing will happen between Aang and I. You can trust me. l love him, but only now do I realize I've always loved him because he was the only friend - no the only family - I ever had. The way he talks about you... you're one lucky girl. _

When she glanced over at Aang again, she noticed that his head began to dip a little. She gently toughed his arm. "Aang?"

His arrowed head jolted up. "Huh?! Oh I'm sorry! Were you saying something?"

Jing shook her head. "We should go to bed now." Aang nodded and accepted her hand as she guided him back to the second floor. She released his hand to close the window and turned to him.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned again. Jing smiled. "I'll see you in the morning?"

The airbender's head bobbled up and down in response. Jing nodded and was about to pass Aang when he took her arm and hugged her. "Thanks for listening," he mumbled lazily.

The firebender grinned once more and left the hallway. She turned back to watch Aang slipping inside a room. It didn't take a mad scientist to figure it out it was Katara's room. Her smile broadened. "Sleep tight you guys."

Katara felt a weight come down on her bed. She grumbled and was getting ready to turn around to see what caused her bed's sudden depression when a pair of tattooed arms wrapped themselves around her waist. A soft and rhythmic breathing filled her ear and tickled her neck. Her lips curled upwards, speaking the name she knew she adored. "Aang?"

"Hmm. Did I wake you?" His response was drowsy. But to Katara, it was the cutest thing in the world.

"No," she settled deeper into his embrace._ I told you, you can trust Aang_, her caring-side boasted. Her side replied with a _yeah, whatever_ snicker, her tone should've held hostility instead it was adoration. "I'm in love with you, Aang. Only you."

She felt Aang's arms froze. _Oh no, I said it too soon, now he might make an excuse and run back to his own room._

Before she thought of anything else, the tattooed arms relaxed and the airbender answered, "And I will always love you. Today, tomorrow, next week. Forever." He leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "... Do you trust me?"

"Always."

"I trust you too, Katara."

Both benders, content with each other's closeness drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Sokka found the couple still in each other's arms with a smile to match. The warrior himself felt his lips curling upwards and quietly backed out the room, not wanting to disturb their peaceful slumber. "Sleep tight little sister. Sleep tight, buddy."

With a light _thud_ of the door, the couple continued on their tranquil dormancy.

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**I'm sorry I'm a day late. But as they say, better late than never. Thank you for those who have stuck with me and read this from the very beginning. Thank you for those who's left a review too! I deeply appreciate it! Till Friday everyone!**


	8. Ch 8-Proposals, Obligations, Friendships

Three. That's the number of days the firebender-spirit has stayed in the living girl's body. Three days gone. Just a couple more to go. The first day, the girl claimed to have spent it with the elderly lady. The second she was with Aang and his friends. And the third. She's spending it just sitting on the rooftop. _What is it with this girl and rooftops?_ Zuko remembered Aang mentioning to him that Jing enjoyed being on roofs because she felt like she was on top of the world.

The Fire Lord groaned. "When is she going to resolve her problems?" He hissed at Sokka who was sharpening his boomerang.

"Hey, I'm just the idea guy, the brave warrior," he grinned. "I don't know anything dealing with spiritual stuff. Go ask Aang."

"Ok, where is he?"

The warrior lifted his head and looked around the living area then back at his boomerang. "I don't know. Probably still out doing some Avatar stuff. You know him, always busy. Busy, busy. busy. Just ask him when he gets home." He paused. "Do you know where Suki is? I wanna give her a surprise attack with my newly sharpened boomerang." He raised his weapon in the air for emphasis.

Zuko got on his feet. "I'll just go to the city and check on him. As for Suki, I saw her going out to the water side with Katara this morning." He was about to leave his friend when he turned around. "Oh and Sokka?"

The warrior didn't bother lifting his head from his activity. "Yeah?"

Zuko rolled his eyes at his friend. "If you're going to surprise attack a Kyoshi warrior, make sure you don't yell out 'attack' or anything foolish like that." His lips threatened to pull upwards at the thought of his friend back in the days when Aang was still trying to master all four elements. According to Aang, Sokka had yelled out 'sneak attack' and got a boulder to the face. Katara and Toph hadn't remembered Sokka taking a hit and that was because they were too caught up in their little mud-match during one of Aang's training sessions.

"I never done such a thing!" Sokka gasped at his friend. Then he jumped to his feet and _harrumphed_ his way out the back door, no doubt looking for his girlfriend. The Fire Lord sighed and made his way towards Republic City.

He was just coming up the stairs of the council building trying to find his powerful friend when the Avatar himself roughly exited the building, mumbling incoherent words in the process. _What's gotten into him?_ "Aang?" When the airbender didn't hear him and continued walking in the other direction, Zuko picked up his pace and raised his voice louder. "Aang!"

_This is unbelievable_, the airbender thought gruffly to himself. _I'm only seventeen and already the councilmen are proposing to arrange marriages with women I have never met to continue the lineage of the airbenders and to an extent, the Avatar cycle, which makes sense of course, but still don't they know about Katara? Surely she's... Wait... is that Zuko?_ The airbender snapped from his reverie and glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough his friend and former mentor rushed over to him.

"Stop... walking... so... fast," he hunched forward as he panted.

Aang blushed. He hadn't noticed his friend calling out to him. "Sorry about that Zuko, I didn't hear you."

The Fire Lord gaped at him. "Aang, I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. But each time I got close to you, you'd just burst forward into air." He looked at him closely and noted the bothersome expression on the airbender's face. Completely forgetting about the firebender, he narrowed his eyes. "Something wrong?"

_Yes_. "No," he answered instead. When the Fire Lord crossed his arms and looked at him pointedly, the airbender sighed. He gestured Zuko to sit with him on a nearby bench. They sat in silence for several minutes, Zuko waiting patiently for Aang to speak up while the latter questioned how to start such a conversation. _Might as well just ask straight out._

"I want to marry Katara." Aang blurted out.

Zuko's eyes widened then a smile slowly made it's way to his face, softening his usual-deadpanned demeanor. "That's great!" _It's about time actually_, he didn't quite add.

"No it's not."

"What? Why not? I thought you love her." What happened? Then a thought came to him. "Is it because of Jing?" _Oh Aang, you can't have developed feelings for her. No offense or anything, but I'm more of a Aang-and-Katara kind of person._

Zuko's voice wasn't accusative, but it still hurt Aang to think his friend would view him like that. "No of course not! I would always love Jing, but not the way I do Katara. Jing's just a friend. She even said it herself to me last night."

The Fire Lord raised a brow and was about to question what had gone on the previous night when he nodded his head. _No, of course Aang wouldn't do something like that. How stupid of me to even consider that! What kind of friend am I anyway?!_ "I'm sorry I said that Aang, it's just that I don't want you - or Katara - to get hurt by anything or anyone. After all, you're like family to me."

The Avatar gave the first genuine smile Zuko's seen since he arrived at Republic City. "Technically, I _am_ you're family, Zuko. Since Avatar Roku was your great grandfather and I'm the reincarnation of him, we're spiritually related."

Zuko eyed at him, a mischievous glint in his golden eyes. "Should I call you Grandfather then? Or how about Gramps?"

The duo stared at each other then burst laughter. They laughed for a good while, completely forgetting everything else and simply enjoying one another's companionship. Finally, their laughter subsided and the duo quieted down once more.

"So," Zuko began. "You're planning on proposing to Katara? Have you asked Sokka for her permission yet? You know, since he's the older brother and all." He quickly added when Aang looked at him.

"Yeah, we've already talked about it." Aang began fiddling with his fingers. "He's agreed and all. Actually, almost everything is ready." Before Zuko could ask what Aang meant by having almost everything done, the Avatar pulled a thin fabric from his robe's pocket. The noise that escaped the Fire Lord's lips was that of shock, acknowledgment, and a gleeful giggle.

"About time."

The young airbender gave him a strange look at the noise and comment but didn't press on. Instead he simply thumbed the pendant symbolizing the waterbending as well as the airbending symbols. The other side of the necklace had both waterbender and airbender's names intertwined with one another. "I started making this just a few weeks before Katara's eighteenth birthday - with Chief Hakoda's permission that is - and finished a couple months ago. I was planning on asking this week but... Jing and the councilmen about marriage and the Avatar cycle and-." He groaned.

When Aang didn't continue, Zuko went on to ask, "Is that what you're worried about?"

_Might as well just tell him_. Aang gave out a loud sigh. "The first time I laid eyes on those blue orbs, I knew if I woke up seeing those beautiful blue eyes, I will forever be the happiest man in the world. So no, marrying Katara isn't what I'm truly worried about, nervous yes but not worried. As for the Avatar cycle, the spirits will find a way to bring about an airbender, maybe as my children, I don't know. I'm just worried of what Katara may think about Jing. I know Jing loves me as a friend, she told me last night, and I love her as a friend too, but-"

"Katara doesn't know that Jing only loves you as a friend," the Fire Lord piped in. "And by the sounds of your story about Jing, it sounded like you two used to _very_ close." _Ahh, _something dawned on Zuko_. Katara's probably - no, __most definitely__ - afraid of losing you. If I remember correctly, she threatened to kill me if I hurt you when I first joined the group. I always knew she had a soft spot for you all those years ago, in fact I've always wondered why you guys didn't just come out and say you liked each other. Maybe it was because you_ - he glanced at a once-again silent Aang - _were too busy mastering the elements and Katara too busy protecting you. Only now do I realize she didn't make a move because she was simply afraid of losing someone she loves to the Fire Nation... like her mother._

"Aang," he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Do you honestly love Katara?"

The airbender looked at him like that was the most outrageous question ever asked but answered truthfully and full-heartedly, "Of course I do. I will always love her. I'll always be there for her." _Just like last night when I held her in my arms_, he didn't add.

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Katara loves you, we've all seen the way she looks at you. It's quite... discomforting the way you two just go all lovey-dovey without so much as a warning," Zuko grinned when that made his friend chuckle. "She'll understand your platonic relationship with Jing as long as you talk it out with her."

_Zuko's right_, Aang concluded. _I should've told her this morning, but the council ordered me here on short notice. Ugh! Why couldn't they have just sent a messenger hawk over instead of dragging me out here all to tell me,_ 'Avatar Aang, you have to consider the future for your people and the Avatar circulation, we need an Avatar from the Air Nomads'. _I know, you don't have to lecture me about my almost-extinct race and my spiritual obligation._

Seeing the dark cloud begin to form in his friend's features, Zuko got to his feet, receiving a questioning look from the young man before him. "Come on, some good Jasmine's tea should ease you from your worries." _Hopefully, Uncle is still there. Maybe he can talk to you about being a good friend to Jing, an amazing boyfriend to Katara, and a great Avatar to us all. _An emotion flashed through Aang's face and for a second, Zuko thought he saw a tear form on Aang's eye.

The airbender followed suite and stood up. "Yeah, maybe some tea will do me some good."

They started walking away from the council building for the teashop set up in the city when Aang said thank you.

"For what?" Zuko scratched his head, dumbfounded at the gesture.

"For staying and listening to me banter about my... troubles."

Zuko grinned. "That's what friends are for right?"

Aang reflected the happy smile. "That's what _good_ friends are for." He playfully punched Zuko by the arm and continued walking to the teashop.

At that, the Fire Lord laughed. _No, Aang. I was wrong. You're definitely not a good friend, you are the most wonderful, nice, and kind friend in the four nations. I'm glad you got stuck in that iceberg or else I would've never met you._

* * *

**I'm back! I have no excuse for being gone so long other than writer's block, so I'm terribly sorry for leaving you guys hanging like that. Hopefully this can make up for my absence. Another chapter should be posted today as well, so go check that out! I'm going to try to wrap this up before school starts. Thank you for those who have reviewed thus far, you are the best! **


	9. Chapter 9- Revelations

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender.**_

* * *

_I shouldn't be doing this... but we do need to talk... Ugh! Why is this so hard?! It's not like I've never talked to a waterbender before. Actually, I've never talked to a waterbender that is over a century years younger than me chronologically speaking that is..._

"JIng?"

At the sound of her name, the petite girl jumped from her pacing and stared at the object of her internal conflict. She gulped. _It's now or never_. "Katara."

The waterbender eyed her, not unkindly - the firebender noted gratefully - but more concernly. "I was calling you downstairs for lunch but you didn't answer, you weren't in any of the rooms downstairs nor were you outside, so I figured you were here... You've been walking back and forth too... Is everything ok, Jing?"

The firebender nearly laughed out loud, but refrained. _Aang used to pace a lot whenever he's in deep thought, I guess his bad habit finally got to me_. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

At this Katara's eyes widedened. It wasn't like the two girls never talked - they do - but it's always been with a third party around. Now they were going to have a one-on-one with each other, a first for the both of them. "Um, sure..." They both stood awkwardly in silence for several seconds until the waterbender waved her hand to the doorway of her room. "...Do you want to come in?" She gestured but the biologically younger girl shook her head.

"Let's go to the roof."

Before Katara had a chance to respond to that, she felt small fingers wrap themselves around her wrists and gently tugged her towards the window that unbeknownst to her had been already used as a way to get to the upper level of the house. They finally settled themselves on the summit of the building when Katara gasped.

_I knew Republic City looked beautiful but.. wow. This view is really something. No wonder why Aang said Jing loved this place, this is just... amazing_. Katara watched small shapes no doubt to be people making their way about the young city. It was afternoon, so of course the city is buzzing with activity. A distasteful frown made it's way to her lips. _Aang is probably down there somewhere. I wonder when he'll be back..._

"K-Katara?"

The waterbender turned to find a slightly scared looking girl next to her. _Why is she-? Oh god, she must've thought that I was frowning at __her_. She groaned internally. _Nice going, Katara. You're becoming very unlikable at the moment. Even __I'm __not liking me right now._

"Sorry about that," she shied away from looking at her. "I wasn't upset with you, just at Aang." She gave out a sigh. "Or more like Aang's Avatar duties."

"Oh." The girl blushed. "Yeah, I guess Aang's an important man now... I bet he's a powerful bender, being the Avatar and all."

Katara couldn't help but smile at the last part. _"I can see he is a very powerful bender..." _Aunt Wu's voice suddenly rang in her head, referencing to the man that she was to marry in the future. She couldn't believe how blind she was as a child back then. _To think that it was Aang all along._

Changing the topic and hopefully refraining from her unintentional showcase of emotion, Katara decided to comment on their current sitting place. "This is such a wonderful spot to be in. No wonder Aang said you always loved it here. It feels like you're... on top of the world."

If Jing's head turned any faster, Katara would've thought she used airbending to accomplish such speed. "Yeah, that's exactly what I told Aang. But he'd always argue that sitting on a building is nothing compared to flying in the air. 'Now that's being on top of the world'", she replayed what her old friend had spoken to her so many years ago.

The waterbender laughed. It was so like Aang to have favored air despite his ability to bend the four elements. "You should try riding on Appa. Now that's feeling like you're on top of the world. No. It's like... it's like-"

"Nothing can touch you." Both girls spoke at once. They glanced at each other and it was then that blue orbs finally met with green ones.

Any ire or jealousy towards the petite girl was finally washed away at that moment as they smiled warmly at each other. Letting out a sigh of relief and contentment, both girls leaned back and simply watched the distant city, listened to the voices of their friends downstairs, and relished in peaceful silence. They stayed like that for over an hour, sitting and not breathing a word, when Jing spoke. If Katara hadn't been a mere foot away from the girl, she would've missed what she had said.

"I love him, but not the way you think I do."

"Jing-" Katara started, but the girl held her hand up.

"Please, you need to hear this - not from him, from me." When the waterbender nodded, she took a deep breath. _She_ _has to know from the very beginning. Before I met Aang to the day I last saw him. She needs to know, to understand why I'm here, why I took this poor girl's body from her own family and ended up in this day and age_. "I wasn't poor, nor was I rich. I was just average, another normal girl in another normal town." She paused, picturing her hometown and the people she grew around with. "My mother had died during my birth and my father died when I was at a young age; I barely knew them." Her green eyes began to water at the painful memory. "I was raised by my aunt and uncle, taking me into their already growing family, but it wasn't the same. My cousins had their parents and each other to look out after them, I was all alone."

Katara felt sorry for the girl. _I knew both of my parents and even after Mom died, at least I had Dad, Sokka, and Gran-Gran. But Jing had no one after her parents died_. "I'm sorry." It was a double meaning; she was sorry for judging the girl so quickly and the lost of her parents.

Green orbs flashed to her. "Don't be, it was so long ago." She was quiet for a moment, then went on. "I guess I constantly left because I didn't feel like I belonged despite my aunt's protests that I was family. I went to marketplaces, sneaked into a couple pubs and restaurants, played some Pai Sho with the old man across town. By the time I was ten, I've already been to every street corner and then a couple more places from the next town. In fact, I was on my way home from the next town over when I saw this little bald kid bawling his eyes out by a staircase." She smiled at the memory of a younger Aang, oblivious to Katara's watching eyes.

"I probably came off too strong. I immediately introduced myself and to my surprise, he didn't run away from me. I figured I should start slow, so I gave him my handkerchief and got him talking. My aunt always said that keeping something inside you isn't good, you have to let it out, so I got him talking-"

"About Appa being sick," Katara couldn't help but interject. _Oh no_, she thought glumly when Jing stopped to look at her. _I've ruined it._ To her amazement, the firebender simply nodded.

"Yup. Since then, I don't remember not being with him whenever he visits and not missing him whenever he leaves," the girl giggled. "I remember Gyatso having to pry us apart at one point. I felt so empty before, but with Aang - it's like a new light, a new meaning to live. I didn't realized this until he returned to visit the second time. It was nice to finally belong, to have someone genuinely care and watch out for you _not_ because you have to but because you_ want_ to. That was what I felt with him."

Katara let those words sink in. _That's exactly how Sokka and I feel about each other_, she realized with a jolt. _He watches over me not because he's my older brother and he has to do it because Gran-Gran tells him to. He does it before he loves me. He protected me, sheltered me, he did all of that because he __**cares**_. Right then, the waterbender held a whole new level of respect for not just her brother but for the petite being next to her. A single tear ran down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away.

Jing didn't miss the small drop of emotion from Katara's eye, but didn't say anything about it. "He grew on me after two years of spending countless hours together. Then one night, I really screwed up. I said I loved him and claimed that it was more than a friend," she quickly spared a glance at Katara, who flinched slightly. "Honestly, I was scared because he was leaving again. This time though, Gyatso said that Aang wasn't coming back for several years. Now I do; to train him as the next Avatar. But I didn't know back then, so I panicked, fearing that the only best friend I've ever made was going to leave forever and forget me. I regretted it as soon as the words were spoken. That was the last time I saw him... He looked so hurt, so lost. I felt the same way.

A week later, Gyatso sent a messenger hawk asking if Aang was with me. I said no and asked why; he never responded. A few weeks after that, the war - later known to be called the Hundred Year War - began. I was thirteen when I overheard the women in the marketplace. The Air Nomads were wiped out," Jing gave out a choke.

Katara should have expected the sudden outburst from the girl, but she was still shell-shocked to be able to move for the first second. Immediately the motherly side of Katara surfaced and she pulled Jing into a tight embrace, the girl gratefully accepting and clutching her shoulders. "Shh, its ok."

"N-no it's not," was sobbed out in reply. "I l-lost my parents. M-my a-aunt and uncle are too b-busy taking care of m-my cousins to even sp-spare me a gl-glance." The petite girl's shoulders shook as she trembled under Katara's arms. Her sobs muffled her next words, but the waterbender managed to pull out keywords from her current state of emotion. "A-Aang... only f-family... gone... I w-was... alone... s-still a-am..."

Katara shook her head vigorously, and said, "No you are not alone, Jing."

Jing looked up at her through watery eyes. "Wh-what?"

"You still have Aang; he's still _here_ with you-" she gently pointed at JIng's chest. "He's helping you not because he's the Avatar and it's his duty to help others, it's part of it yes. But he's mostly helping you because he _cares_, he truly does. You'll never be alone. You have a new family: Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Toph, Appa, Momo... and me."

At that, the girl flung her arms around the waterbender's shoulders whom embraced back just as eagerly. "T-thank you so mu-much, Katara. Y-you have no i-idea h-how much that m-meant to me."

Katara couldn't help but feel her lips tug upwards and she did nothing to restrain the emotion. They held each other for a few more minutes before parting. Hiccupping, Jing held her hand up and rubbed her tear-streak cheeks.

_I was so wrong about you, Jing_, the waterbender thought to herself. _And for that I am __so__ sorry. I'm glad Aang has you as a friend - and I am __especially__ glad I have you as my friend too. You'll never be alone. We're your family now. _


	10. Chapter 10- Laying It All Out

"Hey, where you two been? We finished eating alre-" Sokka paused mid-word when he noticed the matching teary-red eyes of the approaching girls. _Whoa_, he thought. _What happened? Have they been crying? Over what? Oh, Katara..._ He wanted to ask, but instead of voicing them, he simply settled on a concerned, "You ok?"

Suki, having left for the washroom and returning to the living room, had heard the change in tone from her lover and silently went over to the two standing girls. _You two look like a total mess. I bet Jing talked about her past with you_, the Kyoshi warrior looked pointedly at Katara. During her time with the elderly woman and young boy, she found out part of Jing's past via these people. _She probably didn't have a lot of family around her_, she frowned when the elderly woman mentioned Jing repeatedly saying 'I'm alone'. _And if she did, they were probably too occupied to give her the time of day_. Still wanting know the full picture of Jing's background, she decided it can wait. _My friends need me; they need a good hug_, she sorrowfully observed between the two. Without a word, she pulled both into a simple hug.

A second before they prepared to part, a weight and two long arms clashed onto the three girls. "Whatever it is. It'll be ok," the warrior promised as he tightened his hug on the trio.

Somewhere beneath all of the bodies, Jing smiled to herself._ Katara's right_, she thought. _This... my new friends - no_, she corrected, _my new family - welcomed me into their lives, made me part of their kin in a short amount of time. I wasn't supposed to be even alive in their time period, yet they still brought me in. That's- that's just amazing_.

"What's with all the group hug?" The foursome glanced up from their hug to find three figures standing by the doorway, one of whom was crossing her arms. Even with the sun shining from behind them, shadowing their faces, it didn't take long to recognize Zuko's raised eyebrow, Aang's shy smile, and Toph's smirk.

"Well?" Toph droned out when no one answered her. "What's with the-" She didn't get to finish her sentence when she was pulled into the growing hug. The seventeen year old earthbender have grown out of her awkward shell she once wore as a twelve year old. Now as a young woman, the master bender was still visibly rough in her actions, but her appearance was smoother than that of her younger ways. Her hair was still in a bun but was washed more often than before. She wore the same green and yellow garment and headwear. Other than the maturing features on Toph Beifong's being, she was still the tough earthbender from Earth Kingdom's town of Gaoling.

"Alright, alright," the earthbender grumbled against Aang's bright clothing._ Or was that Zuko's? I'm not even sure anymore with the way we'er so tight against each other... I'm kinda surprised no one broke from cracked ribs to be honest_. "I'll let this one slide," she said when at last, they started parting ways. Most of them chuckling at her comment.

"Oh you know you liked it," Sokka nudged her in the side. Toph remembered the times were she would blush at the action given by a much younger warrior five years ago. She had harbored feelings for the boy who hailed from the Southern Water Tribe. But since the end of the war, her crush over the warrior has faded.

Now viewing him more family than lover, Toph simply shrugged, not confirming nor denying Sokka's comment over the seven-member hug.

"You guys came home early." Suki said once everyone's settled among the couchs in the living area, referring to the three newcomers. "How was the city?"

Aang and Zuko gave a quick glance between each other and noncommitedly said, "Nothing much." The Kyoshi warrior raised a brow. _Boy, am I in the loop_. When she looked over at Sokka, she knew he was in on whatever it was Aang and Zuko was keeping. _I gotta get these guys talking... especially these three boys_.

"Ok, spill."

"Hey, where you two been? We finished eating alre-" Sokka paused mid-word when he noticed the matching teary-red eyes of the approaching girls. _Whoa_, he thought. _What happened? Have they been crying? Over what? Oh, Katara..._ He wanted to ask, but instead of voicing them, he simply settled on a concerned, "You ok?"

Suki, having left for the washroom and returning to the living room, had heard the change in tone from her lover and silently went over to the two standing girls. _You two look like a total mess. I bet Jing talked about her past with you_, the Kyoshi warrior looked pointedly at Katara. During her time with the elderly woman and young boy, she found out part of Jing's past via these people. _She probably didn't have a lot of family around her_, she frowned when the elderly woman mentioned Jing repeatedly saying 'I'm alone'. _And if she did, they were probably too occupied to give her the time of day_. Still wanting know the full picture of Jing's background, she decided it can wait. _My friends need me; they need a good hug_, she sorrowfully observed between the two. Without a word, she pulled both into a simple hug.

A second before they prepared to part, a weight and two long arms clashed onto the three girls. "Whatever it is. It'll be ok," the warrior promised as he tightened his hug on the trio.

Somewhere beneath all of the bodies, Jing smiled to herself._ Katara's right_, she thought. _This... my new friends - no_, she corrected, _my new family - welcomed me into their lives, made me part of their kin in a short amount of time. I wasn't supposed to be even alive in their time period, yet they still brought me in. That's- that's just amazing_.

"What's with all the group hug?" The foursome glanced up from their hug to find three figures standing by the doorway, one of whom was crossing her arms. Even with the sun shining from behind them, shadowing their faces, it didn't take long to recognize Zuko's raised eyebrow, Aang's shy smile, and Toph's smirk.

"Well?" Toph droned out when no one answered her. "What's with the-" She didn't get to finish her sentence when she was pulled into the growing hug. The seventeen year old earthbender have grown out of her awkward shell she once wore as a twelve year old. Now as a young woman, the master bender was still visibly rough in her actions, but her appearance was smoother than that of her younger ways. Her hair was still in a bun but was washed more often than before. She wore the same green and yellow garment and headwear. Other than the maturing features on Toph Beifong's being, she was still the tough earthbender from Earth Kingdom's town of Gaoling.

"Alright, alright," the earthbender grumbled against Aang's bright clothing._ Or was that Zuko's? I'm not even sure anymore with the way we'er so tight against each other... I'm kinda surprised no one broke from cracked ribs to be honest_. "I'll let this one slide," she said when at last, they started parting ways. Most of them chuckling at her comment.

"Oh you know you liked it," Sokka nudged her in the side. Toph remembered the times were she would blush at the action given by a much younger warrior five years ago. She had harbored feelings for the boy who hailed from the Southern Water Tribe. But since the end of the war, her crush over the warrior has faded.

Now viewing him more family than lover, Toph simply shrugged, not confirming nor denying Sokka's comment over the seven-member hug.

"You guys came home early." Suki said once everyone's settled among the couchs in the living area, referring to the three newcomers. "How was the city?"

Aang and Zuko gave a quick glance between each other and noncommitedly said, "Nothing much." The Kyoshi warrior raised a brow. _Boy, am I in the loop_. When she looked over at Sokka, she knew he was in on whatever it was Aang and Zuko was keeping. _I gotta get these guys talking... especially these three boys_.

"Ok, spill."

She all but glared at the three boys for what seemed like an eternity. At last, the one who was supopsed to be the most powerful one in the room broke. Suki grinned. _Wow, even my toughest Kyoshi stare is strong enough to break the Avatar, who is apparently keeping something at the moment, and the Fire Lord and the Southern Water Tribal chief's son is in on it too._

_Oh no! She knows something is up_! Aang panicked. _Can't tell her about Katara, especially when she's literally right next to me. But I can't lie to them either, they're my friends_! He turned to Zuko, who gave a weak smile, still under the influence of the glare. "Its the councilmen," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Councilmen? Is something wrong?" She cast a look over her friends. Seeing all of their concerned looks, Suki knew this was new information.

Aang drew a breath and told his friends about his meeting in the city; about the importance of keeping the Air Nomads alive through Aang and in extention, keeping the Avatar cycle avaliable. Despite the future Avatar proceeding Aang would be from one of the two water tribes, that still doesn't dismiss the fact that the four nations still needed an Avatar from the Air Nomads. He didn't say it, but everyone heard the hidden lines from Aang's story: He needed to bare children in order for any of this to happen. And to have children, one needed a partner... a wife.

Katara blushed when she realized what this meant in her relationship with Aang. She was subconsciously aware of Aang's status as the Avatar, but what he just said at that moment threw her off guard. _Aang's going to need to get married... and by the looks of it, he needed to do so as soon as he can._ Suddenly Katara's self-conscious side crept up behind her. _There are other more proficient women in the world. He can have any one of them if he wanted to, he doesn't have to be with me. I'll probably be known as the Avatar's first girlfriend and nothing more..._

The airbender was mentally and physically exhausted from the lenghty discussion and explanation from any confused questions. By the time he ended, everyone was up to par on his current situation. Once again, the gang was entrapped in silence, all of whom were lost in their own thoughts. It was only when Aang's stomach loudly growled did the quiet trance evaporate. The room erupted with gentle laughs at the reddening airbender.

"Oh man, Twinkle toes. And I thought _Sokka_ was the one who constantly needed to be fed every second of the day. For a monk, your stomach sure is wild. Tame that beast of yours, Katara." With that, everyone laughed even harder as airbender and waterbender's cheeks darkening with color.

"Night out at the city!" Sokka enthustiastically yelped.

To his surprise, everyone agreed that a night out would do them good from their stressful lives. They were all to meet back in the living room in a few hours. The waterbender and firebender left the room first, all of their energy being used up from their tearful encounter as well as the worrisome news Aang had laid out on them that afternoon. They went up to their rooms for a short nap before preparing for the night.

Aang craned his neck down the hallway, listening carefully until he heard two soft thuds of the doors to his girlfriend's and friend's rooms. "Guys, wait," he whispered, a slow smile showing itself on his face. He wore a glint in his gray eyes, something that usually meant he was up to something.

"What's up, Twinkle toes?" Toph was about to leave for her room but was stopped by Aang's words. "If you want a quick snack, you can always have some of my hard rock candies."

Aang's face contorted at the suggestion. As much as he loved his friend, he was still bewildered on how someone could eat something that can destroy your teeth in a matter of seconds upon chewing. "No, it's not that. I need your guys' help."

This piqued almost everyone's interest. The only ones who seemed like they knew what was going on was the Fire Lord himself and maybe even the male warrior.

"Sure, Aang," the Kyoshi warrior nodded. "What's up?"

"It's about tonight... and Katara." He shoved his hand into his pocket, looked back towards the stairs making sure Katara wasn't present, and carefully laid the betrothal necklace out. Both warriors gave out a short gasp. The male having known but not actually having seen the object, and the female for the gesture behind the necklace.

"You're going to-" She giggled, not being able to contain herself. She watched the airbender hand the necklace to his former mentor, who's milky white eyes widened before returning the object to him. "And tonight?"

The arrowed head bobbled up and down, eyes sparkling. "Even without the council's interference, I wouldv'e still asked her to marry me. I have almost everything planned out actually - and my plan most definitely involves two master warriors," Aang grinned when Sokka wiggled his brows at Suki. "And two master benders."

Toph crossed her arms, becoming impatient and needing to hear the rest of the airbender's proposition. "What do you want us to do, Twinkle toes?"

If it wasn't for the earthbender's blindness, she wouln't have learned earthbending, developed her seismic senses, taught the Avatar, and engineered a new form of bending using metals. But at that moment, the blind teenager missed the uberly bright, happy smile on the airbender's face. The airbender was oozing with such a positive emotion that everyone in the room couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Ok," he whispered. "So this is what I have in mind-"

As Aang tattled away his plans, he suddenly felt like a little kid again. _Just you wait, Katara. In a few hours, you'll have the ultimate surprise of your life. _


	11. Chapter 11- Son of the Fifth Nation

The airbender stood in the front steps of his home, awaiting for the rest of his friends to come down. Zuko had decided to go back to his home in the city to meet up with his wife, Mai, whom he was bringing along with him. Suki was in Toph's room, helping her dress. Usually Katara would've been with them, but she was still showering after having an hour-long nap. Sokka was also in a shower, his voice could be heard from down the hall as he sang to an unknown tune.

_Huh. Jing's room has been quiet for a while now_, Aang mused._ I probably should go check on her... Or maybe I shouldn't_, he backtracked when he noticed a familiar petite shape make it's way towards him. He smiled as she came up, then his mouth slightly dropped. "Hey," he said weakly.

Bright green eyes met his. "Hi," she said shyly. When Aang kept gaping at her, she felt her face flustering at the scrutinizing gaze. _Oh no, do I look that bad?_ She fretted as she looked away. _Ugh, I should've asked Suki to help me instead of doing all of this myself_. "I know I look bad, so stop staring..."

Aang blushed. "You don't look bad at all. Actually you look pretty good compared to me. I'm the one who probably looks terrible. I look like an orange fruit."

Any tension Jing had felt immediately left. Her eyes flew over Aang's outfit, a similar rendition of the orange clothing the monks used to wear. She gave him a sly smile. "Yeah you're right, you do look terrible. Good thing you have me, my good looks counter yours."

_There's the Jing I used to know_, Aang grinned mentally. But his external facial features begged to differ. He masked a displeased and hurt look, forcing his lips to pull down instead of upwards. "I'm hurt, Jing."

Jing, having known Aang despite the hundred year gap, frowned. _He's joking right?_ She thought sarcastically to herself, followed by the rolls of her eyes. "I can't believe I thought I was in love with you," she gasped. "You're just too much do you know that? What happened to that sensitive boy that was crying by the stairs?"

Aang's cheeks became rosy. "Jing, I-" _I __**did**__ miss you_. He didn't get to finish. A fresh looking Sokka came bounding down the entryway followed by a nicely dressed Suki, clean-clothed Toph and...

"Wow," breathed Aang when he laid eyes on Katara. "You look... wow."

The waterbender flashed a shy grin and glanced at Aang. She had to lean her head back a bit to meet her lover's gray eyes which were looking lovely back at her. _Oh, those eyes,_ she moaned to herself. "Thanks. You look handsome."

Aang grinned and opened his mouth to reply. Katara expected the words of appreciation come from her boyfriend's soft - _no, don't' look there, Katara, or it'll pull you in_ - lips, instead it came from her oblivious brother still tidying his suit. "Thanks, I didn't think i could pull it off, but it looks good on me right?"

Katara rolled her eyes as Aang slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I didn't mean you, Sokka. I meant Aang."

Her brother pouted. "Oh. Yeah you look nice too, Aang."

The airbender nodded and said his thanks to his friend. _Soon to be brother-in-law, hopefully_, he thought giddily to himself, unaware of his broad smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?"

The Avatar glanced down and saw blue orbs staring cautiously at him. He simply continued to smile. "Just happy to enjoy this lovely night with my girlfriend." He bent down and placed his lips on her awaiting ones for a short kiss. "Come on," he announced, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "Let's go."

The gang hopped on on Appa and rode across the city to pick the Fire Nation's powerful couple and together they rode in the night to downtown Republic City. The city, which was still growing and evolving under the careful eyes of the Avatar and the Fire Lord, already homes Uncle Iroh's Jasmine Teashop and a number of other restaurants; one being the restaurant the gang were heading to.

Kwong's Cuisine was small but respectable by other food competitors. It had remarkably lavish decorations good for any middle classmen and higher. Talented chiefs passionately worked in the kitchen, creating unforgettable cuisines for the customers as waiters came and went with trays of watering delicacies.

"Avatar Aang! Fire Lord Zuko!" A short stubby man with a groomed mustache and thinning hair welcomed the group as they entered the shop. "Ah! Are we having a night-out, Avatar Aang?"

The airbender let out a laugh and nodded. "Yeah we are, Kwong. Sorry to barge in like this, it seems like you're full..." He craned his neck to see over the restaurant keeper's head. Indeed the place was slowly filling up for tonight's evening rush.

"No, no," the restaurant owner waved his hand dismissively. "I made a new section for the restaurants: outdoors. Very lovely. In fact tonight is our outdoor-grand-opening, which should explain our busy stations... Kuang!" The elder man gestured for a younger man, possibly a son since both men had the same physical properties: the light skin, pointed nose, and amber eyes.

"Yeah?" The younger man towered over his father, but was still short compared to the tall Avatar. "... Avatar Aang?! Hi, I'm Kuang, Kwong's son."

"Hello," he offered his hand to him, who graciously shook it. _Firm shake, must be a nice kid... Kid?! Why'd I say that? He looks no older than Katara._ _If anything, he's probably eighteen or nineteen_. "These are my friends, we were hoping for a table outdoors?..."

"Kuang, please guide these kind people outside, give them whichever table they like," he gestured for the group to follow his son. He was about to follow when he saw his wife calling his name from the front desk. "I will be with you shortly, please enjoy yourselves... What is it honey?!" With that the stubby man blended into the crowd of waiting people.

"Here you go," Kuang motioned his hand over a large circular table with white table cloth, candles, and dishes ready to be eaten with. He helped Jing into the chair and turned around, bumping into a certain earthbender. "Sorry. Oh, here. Let me." Kuang didn't miss a beat and swiftly pulled the chair out for Toph who turned her head away to hide the rising blush from her cheeks.

Toph didn't need to sweep her feet around to feel the young man's heart beat next to her quicken after assisting her to her seat. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I'm Toph Beifong." She said without thinking.

The young man grinned. "I know. You're my inspiration for earthbending, especially metalbending. I'm still at awed at what you did with the then Fire Lord Ozai's airships - of course with the help of some special warriors," he gave credits to Sokka and Suki, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Earthbending?" Jing caught the attention of the waiter hunched between her and a still-blushing Toph. "I thought you were Fire Nation... from your eyes," she quickly added.

Kuang looked over at the Avatar who smiled then shrugged shyly, as if saying, 'she's new here'. The waiter scratched his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I am Fire Nation. My dad too. But he came to the Earth Kingdom years before I was born, to escape his nation's violence - no offense, Fire Lord Zuko," Zuko nodded and directed him to continue. "He met my mom, who was an earthbending and together they had my sister and I. In fact," he directed his next words to the Avatar. "If it wasn't for you and your friends, Republic City could've never been what it is today and my family wouldn't have anywhere to go. We weren't technically Earth Kingdom nor were we Fire Nation. We were both. For saving this city as an unofficial fifth nation... it means a lot to me and all of the other multi-cultural families. I am forever grateful, Avatar Aang."

_Multi-cultural families_, Katara held back a broad grin and instead relayed her happiness with a squeeze to Aang's hand, still laced with hers underneath the table.

"Thank you, Kuang," the Avatar replied. "It means a lot to me to hear those words from you. Really, all of us are thankful."

"Of course," Kuang turned his head in time to see his father heading towards them. "I think I should start getting your meals before my father begins questioning me about my hold-up and for your delays."

"No worries, Kuang," Sokka said behind the menu. "Now, about your evening's special soup..."

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender, ONLY Jing and Kuang... and of course Zan the spiritual dragon. **_**(No worries, Zan will return soon along with other spiritual beings.)**

**Hmm, I think I sense some bubbling romance between Toph and Kuang, or is it just a crush? Send your reviews over, they're greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading and have a good night/day!**


	12. Chapter 12- Beautiful Lights

**_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA._**

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After the long dinner filled with laughter and contentment at having the whole gang reunited for one evening, the group left for a late night's walk in Republic City's park. The group gradually split up, the boys walking ahead a few paces while their female counterparts lagged behind, emerged in their own conversation.

"So, when is Sokka going to ask you?" Toph asked bluntly.

Suki's cheeks reddened. "Um... what are you talking about?"

"Sugar," the earthbender crossed her arms. "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't feel your heartbeat quickening. You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

The Kyoshi warrior eyed the back of her boyfriend's wolf tail head. As if he knew she was looking, he turned around and smiled at her before returning to his conversation with Aang and Zuko. "Soon, hopefully," she paused. "How about you, Mai? How's married life with the Fire Lord?"

The usually stoic expression on Mai's face soften slightly at the thought of her new husband. "Life with Zuko is nice, it has it's perks of course being the Fire Lord's wife and all. But so far, everything is... nice." They fell into a momentary silence until Jing interrupted it.

"What about you, Katara?"

The waterbender raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"You have any plans in the marriage department?" The girl giggled slightly at the sight of her friend's face reddening under her question.

"Well," she started. "I suppose so... I mean, I don't see myself with anyone else, except for-" Katara's eyes hovered over the airbender's back. _How I love his long, muscular back. And his arms, so warm and strong as they hold me with those beautiful tattoos of his. The way he holds me when I cry, when I sleep, whenever he kisses me with those soft lips of his. Oh, especially when he kisses me..._ She shook her head, aware of the seconds that passed before she went on. "But yeah, I was planning on being married in the future." _With Aang_, she added with a small smile. Thankfully, the night shadowed her face, hiding her expression from the others.

"What about you, Jing?" The Kyoshi warrior asked, curious about both Jing's past life and her general experience with love. "Have you ever married before, since you know, you were born over a hundred years ago and you grew up and - heh - guys a little help here?"

The firebender grinned. "No, it's ok, I get what you mean." She drew a breath, not knowing where to begin. "Um, what do you want to know?"

The female warrior, whose face had returned to it's original color, brightened again. "Just the basics. Give us some details about married life - you know _if_ you were married, if you weren't that's fine, but if you were, that would be great too. I mean-"

"Calm down, sugar," the earthbender raised her hand to silence her before she went any farther. "What Suki-blabber-mouth was saying was basically, how was your love life?"

"Well," this time it was the firebender moment to blush out of control. "Yes I had a couple boyfriends before I married one when I was nineteen. I had my first child two years later, eventually giving three sons to my husband. The first time you hold a child, _your_ child, it's a wondrous feeling in the world. I can't describe it," she amended when she noticed the looks of her female companions. "Just know that, you will always love them no matter what happens."

The other girls nodded their heads; Suki, Katara, and Mai being in their own relationships with a Southern water tribe warrior, an airbender, and a Fire Nation royalty respectively. Toph simply nodded, not fully grasping the concept, but understanding the feeling of loving others as their family. After all, she feels that way about the gang, who served as her - and the others' - second family.

Suddenly three of the five girls stopped in the middle of a path.

"Where did the boys go?" Mai said in her deadpanned voice. "Weren't they just in front of us?" Sure enough, when everyone turned around, the boys were no where to be seen. At least by the naked eye.

"Stay here," the earthbender mumbled. "I'll go get them; they're by the fountain."

"I'll go with you, Toph," Suki volunteered. Under normal circumstances, the earthbender wouldn't have agreed to such a thing, however for some odd reason, the former Gaoling resident consented.

"Wait guys," Katara started just as the pair of girls prepared to leave. "I don't think it's a good idea to separate. It's getting late and all..."

"It'll be fine, Sweetness!" The blind teen yelled over her shoulder as she treaded off towards the fountain area. "Just stay put!"

The waterbender grunted but stood were she was. Several minutes passed and Mai shivered. She looked over to the Fire Lord's wife. "You cold?"

Mai cracked a small smile as she hugged her shoulders. "Yeah. You get used to the heat a firebender gives off when you're around him - particularly at night - that when he's finally gone, everything is cold."

Katara nodded, knowing the feeling of waking up in the morning and finding a certain airbender had crossed from her bed to his in the middle of the night, leaving her cold in her own bed. _Speaking of which, where __**is**__ he? And Sokka? Where the heck is everyone?!_

The trio waited for a longer period of time before Mai groaned. "I can't take this anymore! Come on Jing, we're going to go find them. Stay here, Katara just in case those three knuckleheads and the girls come back... By the fountain, sheesh. The fountain shouldn't be that far now can it?!" The Fire Lady grabbed a young firebender's hand and started dragging her away from their spot leaving a tired-looking waterbender behind.

_This is taking forever_, the waterbender groaned to herself after waiting over an hour for her friends' return. _How far is the fountain? Isn't it supposed to be five minute walk from where I am right now? What's taking them so long?... Did something bad happen to them? To Aang?! No,_ a she shook her head. _He's the Avatar, he'll be fine... but what if he was ambushed? And Sokka? Where is he?_

The feeling of annoyance of having her friends abandoned her made way for concern for their safety as well as curiosity at what was taking them so long. _I better check if they are by the fountain, if they aren't, I will go home. Leave them just as they left me..._

Katara started making her way towards the fountain. hallway there, she started seeing glows coming from that direction. Suddenly even more curious than before, she hurried her pace just as the glows from firelights intensified.

_What the-?_

Finally seeing the fountain in full view, Katara was awed at the bright sight before her. All around, the trees were decorated with lights, the candle lamps floated in the air, the fountain glowed beautifully. It was all wonderful, but none of them compared to the sight directly before her.

Rose petals covered a pathway - the same pathway she was standing on - that lead towards the fountain. At the end of the pathway, Katara's breath hitched. Standing in front of her with a new pair of robes and a broad grin on his face, Aang held out a hand to her, beckoning her forward.

"Aang," Katara whispered once she'd reached him. "What-?"

"Shh," he hushed not unkindly. "This is all for you, Katara."

The waterbender raised a brow. "For me? But- but why?" In the back of her mind, she had a guess of what this was all about, but at the current speechless state she was in, she couldn't think of anything other than say, "This is all beautiful, and it's for me?"

The airbender nodded. "Katara, since the first day I've met you, I knew you were special. You were always there for me since day one, even when Sokka thought I was a Fire Nation spy, you still vouched that I was no such thing-" the waterbender let out a small laugh as Aang held her hands in his. "-Then we went around the world, we spent so much time together, I felt I can be the real _me_ around you. I wasn't the Avatar, I wasn't the last airbender, I was just _Aang_. Then when I was with the Guru, I realized that I fell - hard - for you. And I knew... I knew you were the only one for me."

The couple's interlaced hands tightened. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm in love with you Katara, you alone and no one else. I can't imagine my life without you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

By this time, the waterbender's heart was beating faster than Ba Sing Se's fastest trains. She couldn't think straight as she stammered on what to say. Instead, she gave an unintellectual, "Wha-?"

Aang's gaze bore into hers as he kneeled on one knee. He gently released his grasp on Katara's hands and reached for his pocket, bringing out a beautifully crafted betrothal necklace. The same one the airbender showed to the two warriors, the Fire Lord, and the earthbender just a few hours ago.

The waterbender let out a squeaky gasp as she covered her mouth, her eyes already prickling with tears. "Aang-"

"Katara," Aang said in a steady voice, despite his jumping nerves. _This is it, don't mess it up_. "Will you marry me?"

The last words barely left the airbender's mouth when the waterbender grabbed him by the collars, pulled him up, and kissed him on the lips. Caught by surprise, the airbender tensed for a fraction of a second before relaxing into the hold. The kiss was soft and passionate. Regretfully, the airbender parted ways and gave out a hearty laugh when his girlfriend pouted. "Was that a yes?"

The waterbender's eyes sparkled against the lighted candles. "Yes, Aang, I would love to marry you." She leaned her head up as her lips met his once more. Just before she closed her eyes, she spotted her friends standing by the sidelines, with wide grins on their faces. _Of course they knew,_ she smiled to herself.

She let herself get lost into her kiss with Aang's. Her heart felt like it was going to burst with the amount of happiness bubbling within her. She parted her lips from her lover's for a short moment, just to say, "I love you."

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**I'm sorry I've been gone long. Last weekend was too busy for me to post up a chapter. But I'm doing it today! Yay! Chapter 13 should be up by next week and I'm going to wrap this story up by the end of this month. Thank you for those who have stayed with this since the beginning! **


	13. Chapter 13- New Yet Old Relationship

**_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA._**

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The next day, the gang were busy with arranging the Avatar's marriage. The councilmen were practically jumping with joy at the fact that the Avatar was due for a wedding in a matter of days. The only thing that downcast everyone was the simple fact that it was Jing's fourth day in the living world. The next day would be her last and as much as Katara had initial reservations towards the petite girl, the water bender wanted the fire bender to be present in her wedding.

Aang wasn't much help either.

"Why not?" Blue eyes followed a pacing airbender in the courtyard of their home.

"Because the spirits wouldn't allow it," he answered in a deflated tone. They've been at this topic for nearly an hour and as much as Aang loved his friend, he had no idea how to extend her stay with them. "Katara, I'm so happy that you've finally opened up to Jing, but there's nothing I can do. The Avatar is called the great bridge between our worlds for a reason. I can't hold her hostage here. It isn't right."

"Can't you delay it? Since technically she is crossing over you in a way, you can delay her travel."

Aang sighed. "Probably. But I can't delay it for a day, if anything, I can delay it for a few hours before she has to go." His voice cracked at the end of his sentence, making Katara shift in her seat to look at him.

The water bender got up and approached him. "You ok?" She whispered to him.

The arrowed head bobbled up and down. "I don't want to lose her again. She was my first best friend, even before Kuzon and Bumi. What if something bad happens? I can't have her hate me again. It was already painful the first time around..."

"Aang," the water bender took both of his cheeks into her hands and made him look straight into her eyes. Already, those gray eyes threatened to water. "She never hated you, if anything she was simply confused and afraid of losing you. You can't blame her for acting out of impulse and doing what she did that night."

The airbender stared down at her in bewilderment. "So you two talked? About that night I mean." The water bender nodded in reply. The airbender smiled gratefully at her. "That means a lot to me, Katara. You have no idea. My best friend and my girlfriend - no _fiancé_ - talking one-on-one with each other."

Katara laughed. "I wasn't your fiancé when we talked, Aang. I was just your simple girlfriend."

"Well then," Aang grinned mischievously at her. "You're my fiancé now. And in a few short weeks, we'll be married. And you'll be the mother of my children." His head started to dip down towards her.

"I like the sound of that." Katara's lips were a few centimeters away when she pulled back all of sudden. Aang feigned a slightly disappointed look but his expression shifted to concern when he saw the wide-eyed look on his other half's face.

"Katara? Is something wrong?"

The waterbender's eyes which were looking off into the distant finally rested on his. To the young Avatar's surprise, her face was thoughtful and a bit mischievous. "We don't have to wait."

"Huh?" _She has that look on her face, like she's planning something, kinda like Sokka, only it's Katara's face... wow, it's amazing how they're so much alike without them even realizing it._ Before he breathed another word however, Katara continued on.

"Why not we get married _tomorrow_? That way Jing can still be part of the ceremony and we can finally get married. After all, we've been together for nearly five years, and 10 of those months were spent training for Sozin's Comet, so technically they don't really count since you know... we weren't together yet." The waterbender blushed softly at her last comment.

The young Avatar gave out a soft chuckle. "Most of those 10 months were spent with me ogling over you, even when you didn't see me in _that way_."

"Actually, I've kinda had a crush on you the first time I met you." The teen waterbender admitted, a deep pink flush rising to her cheeks once more. "Maybe not immediately - if anything that crush grew but I dismissed it thinking I liked you so much because you were my first boy friend other than my brother."  
"_Boy friend_?" _Huh, I like the sound of that..._ The airbender waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to fluster even more despite her tan skin.  
_Why is he looking at me like that? He doesn't think I meant..._ "Aang!" She said in a hurry. "Not like that, like a guy friend! Since there was barely any other boy my age in my tribe that isn't Sokka." When the airbender just laughed at her despite her protests. "Well what about you then, Mr. Avatar? After all, you did say you were _ogling over me_ during our travels five years go."  
The airbender's smile disappeared, recalling the day with the guru. It wasn't one of his wisest decisions to leave the guru so abruptly, but he had to if he wanted to save the one thing he technically had to give up. _Ironic how I've become so attached to Katara in such a short amount of time. Even more ironic how I have to detach myself from her as soon as possible. I couldn't lose her_, Aang thought to himself as he shuddered at the chained Katara in his past vision. _Earthly attachments or not, I had to have Katara alive with me. If anything happened to her..._

"Aang?"

The airbender snapped out of his dark reverie and gave his full attention to the one thing that kept him anchored to the living world. _My love for you was the same love I had for my people_, the airbender remembered from the guru'a teachings. Keeping that in mind, he bent down and gave a small kiss to the surprised but grateful Katara. "Yes, I'd love to marry you tomorrow. In two days time, you'll be Mrs. Avatar."

Katara raised a brow. "Mrs. Avatar? Hmm, I think I can get used to that."

Aang opened his mouth to reply when someone that sounded a lot like a distressed Zuko call from the other side of the house. "I'll be right back. We'll tell the others today so we can get everything ready by tomorrow. I'll send a messenger hawk to Chief Hakoda and your grandmother about our wedding." He gave her a quick peck on the cheeks before rushing back through the house.

The waterbender gave a confused look at her fiancé. _That was weird, he just became so... detached. Maybe it's just him remembering something from the past that bothered him. Huh, he wasn't like that since... the Crystal Catacombs? _Katara shook her head_. No he recovered from that. Then what? Maybe it wasn't the Crystal Catacombs. Maybe it was something else? The guru? He didn't talk much about him after he came back. I'll have to talk to him about that. But for now, I have a wedding to arrange._ With a gleeful smile, Katara made her way inside the house to look for her brother and their friends.

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**I'm sorry for being gone for so long and dragging this story out! I've been meaning to post this chapter last weekend but school work has been preventing me to do such a thing. This story is close to wrapping up now! A couple more chapters then the grand finale: THE WEDDING! **

**Remember to review and pass the word about this story! Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14- Guardian in the Catacombs

**So I feel bad for leaving and not posting until now. So yay for second chapter on the same day! ^.^ **

**Yes these two chapters are shorter than usual, but that's why I'm posting two. I will get to the grand finale, which is one or two more chapters away. The wedding is so close! **

**I was thinking of writing an epilogue after everything is said and done, but we'll get to that later. Review and tell me what you think!**

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"Aang left with Toph and Zuko. Something about creating a metalbending force in Republic City, or something like that I think."

Katara looked up from where she sat on the dining table to find her older brother smirking down at her. "Is my little sister thinking about a certain airbender?" He cooed down at her. _I know you are, don't try to deny it. You have that face that says you're thinking of him. I know because Aang has one too. Oh you two are so adorable sometimes... or all the times._

The waterbender rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time at her brother's comment. It seemed like Sokka will never grow out of his annoying habits, one of them being 'making fun of your sister'. "Of course not, I was just... thinking." _About the guru, the wedding_, she added quietly to herself. _And well the man who's connected to all of this: Aang... Ok, so I __**am**__ thinking of him, sue me._

_Thinking... right, _the warrior nearly scoffed out loud. He took a seat across from his kid sister and looked intently at her. Some time passed before Katara started shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Would you stop looking at me like that? You're starting to creep me out."

Instead of averting his gaze elsewhere, he just continued eyeballing her and replied with, "He really loves you, you know that. He would do anything for you."

The waterbender sighed happily. "I know." Expecting a snarky remark to come after that because well, it was _Sokka_ after all, Katara was taken aback at the next words that were spoken from her brother.

"He could've left me to come rescue you from the Crystal Catacombs. But he didn't leave. He insisted on coming back for you," the warrior's head shook side to side. His lips tugged slowly upwards to reveal a small smile. "He was so stubborn that night. I told him that I'll handle it, but no, _he_ had to come too. I guess deep inside, I was glad he was coming. I couldn't do it all on my own. Not just because I was a non-bender but because, well, I had no idea where you were even though he told me. I couldn't do it, and I trusted him so I let him find you. I just wasn't expecting Iroh to hop on in the ride to rescue you - and Zuko." Sokka's eyes drifted off momentarily, no doubt remembering the night he found out his sister was in danger.

Katara's attention was already undivided at the mention of the Crystal Catacombs, so she remained silent, letting her brother tell the tale that Aang failed to tell her so many years ago.

"On our ride back to the Earth Kingdom, he told me what he did and eventually what he saw," Sokka began playing with a loose thread on the table linen. "He had to let go of some sort of earthly attachment in order for him to free a chakra - I forgot what it was called, but I supposed it was important since he needed that cleared to get into the Avatar state. Anyway, he was all into it until he found out that he had to lose something to gain something else. He had to lose you." The warrior's blue eyes looked pointedly at the identical blues across from him.

"_Me_?" Katara leaned back, obviously not expecting him to say such a thing. "What do you mean he had to 'lose me'? Is that even physically possible? Unless it's something else..."

"He had to clear off this attachment he seemed to have to you." Sokka shrugged. "Look I don't know all of the details, ok. All I know was that he was about to let go of you when he saw a vision of you in chains. Instead of following through, he ended up going back. Against the guru's insistence, he left to get me. That's when we came back to Ba Sing Se. He came back for you."

The new information startled the waterbender to silence. _Aang came back for me? He - he nearly gave up learning to get into the Avatar state so he can save me. I - I... I love him even more. now if that's even possible... But that means._ "Aang died because of me_._" Katara added so quietly that if Sokka hadn't been looking in her direction, he would probably have missed it.

Both of the siblings paused, slowly absorbing the last words spoken.

_Oh no, Katara. I didn't mean to - please don't cry_. Before his sister begun tearing up, Sokka reached over the table to hold his sister's already-trembling hands. "He chose to do this. And to be honest, I really appreciate him returning. He was like your guardian angel, looking after you like that. If he hadn't done so, you might not be here with us - with me and Dad," he added quickly. "Katara, he saved you and prevented me from feeling lost to the world again."

The waterbender's lips quivered. _Is he talking about Mom?_ "Sokka, I-" _Thank you, for being the best brother a girl could ever ask. Thank you for always being there for me even when I say otherwise. Just... thank you for being you. Never change, Sokka, please just stay the way you are. _

He held up a hand and got up. "No need to say anything else. Now come on, we have a wedding to prepare. I think Suki's already gathering every Kyoshi warrior she can get her hands on to help with the preparations, so expect a dozen or more Kyoshi warriors coming in and out of the house. Actually I think that's them heading down the front yard right now... Look Mai and Ty Lee came too!"

Sokka turned to head towards the entryway but was immediately attacked by another body of mass. His nose threatened to sneeze underneath his sister's wavy hair, but he held his breath as warm arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders.

"I love you so much, Sokka," was whispered to the warrior's ears, bringing a smile onto his lips.

His arms tightened protectively around her waist. "And I love you, Katara... But we both know who you love even more."

Katara pushed her brother at arms-length away and gaped at him. "What did you just say?!" She yelled to sound intimidating, but her voice was more playful than anything else.

"What?" Sokka's face scrunched up in innocent confusion. "Oh look, I think we have some guests! Gotta go, I have to act like a good host you know." Sokka let his grip on his sister loosen and made his way for the living room.

"You're such a jerk sometimes do you know that?" Katara crossed her arms and watched her brother leave the room.

The warrior laughed. "I may be a jerk, but I happen to be your jerk-of-a-brother. So deal with it," he winked at her and finally left the room to welcome the army of female warriors.


	15. Chapter 15- Won't Let You Fall

_This is it. I can't believe today's the day. Has it really been five years since we found Aang in that iceberg? Wow, it doesn't sound a whole lot of years and yet I feel like I know the guy for ages. And he's marrying my sister. My Katara. He's going to be my brother - well, brother-in-law that is - in a matter of hours. Just... wow._

Sokka stood in front of a mirror, admiring his clothing. "Heh, I look pretty good... as usual."

"You're conceited as usual." Said a female voice from behind him.

Sokka turned around and spotted his dad and sister smirking at him. He couldn't help but grin at her. She was wearing a light blue dress that showed she was of water tribe heritage. But at the same time, she wore the betrothal necklace Aang gave her and a green and yellow tiara, an Earth Kingdom gift courtesy of Toph. "You look beautiful, Katara."

His sister blushed. "Don't get too emotional, Sokka. I might start crying."

Hakoda smiled. "I think you two look amazing. Your mother would be so proud of what you two have accomplished. Imagine finding the lost Avatar and helping him win the Hundred Year War! You have grown so much. I am the _proudest_ father in the entire world. I mean it."

"Dad, stop," Katara said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "You're making me want to cry even more."

Hakoda grinned sheepishly. Before his children could react, he pulled all of them in into a tight hug. "I love you two. You and your mother are my world. Never forget that."

"Of course not, Dad," Sokka murmured.

"Never," Katara agreed.

They stayed like that for a few more moments before parting. Katara showed signs of tearing up. Her father smiled at her. "Let's go, we don't want to keep Aang waiting now do we?"

"Never," the waterbender repeated, a bright light shining in her eyes at the mention of the man she loved dearly.

Together, the three of them walked out of Sokka's room and went down the stairs. The wedding itself was being held in the most prestigious place in Republic City while the after party was going to be hosted by Iroh in his Jasmine Dragon's shop.

_This is it_, Katara thought._ I'm going to marry Aang! I can't believe it. I just can't._

"Katara!"

The waterbender turned to see Suki running towards her. Worry and concern flooded into her subconsciousness. "Is everything alright? What's wrong?"

"The wedding's starting and we don't have the bride yet that's what's wrong." She smirked at her own words as she came into a stop in front of the waterbender. "Your groom is patiently waiting for you now."

_Always waiting for me patiently_, Katara smiled thinking about the young man standing on the altar. She drew a deep breath. "Ok, I'm ready."

Suki held Katara's hands and hugged her. "I'll see you in the other side of that door," the Kyoshi warrior pointed at the large door Katara and her brother were due to come through any second now. With that, the Kyoshi warrior left hastily to stand next to Jing, who was waiting ahead of Katara and Hakoda.

"I guess I have to go," Hakoda said. He hugged his daughter one last time before leaving her in her brother's hands.

With a cue from the wedding coordinator, Suki, music began to play. One by one, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle. First was Toph in a beautiful Earth Kingdom dress with Kuang, the young man from the restaurant. Then it was Jing the leader of the Kyoshi warriors and also a dear friend in the group. The firebender and Suki were followed by Zuko and Mai who walked with royal elegance.

When all of the men were standing next to the groom and the women standing next to an empty spot reserved for the bride, the music changed into a calming tempo. Sokka stepped out first, then taking his sister's arm into his, they walked down the aisle. Everyone turned around and watched as the bride walked with passion written all over her eyes.

Katara looked straight into gray orbs, which were shining brightly at her. Aang was wearing his traditional monk attire, except he didn't wear his traditional air nomad necklace. Instead he wore a new necklace that was similar to Katara's betrothal necklace, with the air and water symbol together, a gift courtesy from Sokka and Suki.

When the siblings reached the altar, Sokka greeted Aang with a Southern water tribe handshake. "Take good care of my sister, Aang, or else." He grinned.

Aang smiled. "Always."

Sokka turned to hug his sister one last time before handing her off to the airbender. Once the deed was done, he went to stand next to the other groomsmen. The couple turned around to face the Chief of the Southern water tribe.

Hakoda winked at them before boastly saying, "Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today for the union of two parts of one soul, Aang and Katara..."

Some words were spoken from the chief before the changing of vows. Finally once the couple each said what they have been feeling for each other, Sokka produced a small ring while Suki handed Katara a larger ring.

"Now, Aang," Hakoda said. "Do you take my daughter to be your lawful wedded wife through thick and thin, through sickness and in health?"

"I do," the airbender placed the small ring into Katara's finger.

"My daughter," Hakoda started. "Do you, take Aang to be your lawful wedded husband, through thick and thin, through sickness and in health?"

"I do." The waterbender slipped the larger ring into Aang's finger.

"I, Chief Hakoda pronounce you, Aang and Katara, man and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Aang turned to face Katara and was about to initiate the kiss when instead, Katara three her arms around him and initiated it. Just like the time she kissed me outside the Jasmine Dragon after the end of the war, Aang thought giddily to himself. A second later, the two parted and held each other close. They faced the audience, who were cheering and waving happily at the new couple.

Aang leaned his head down to Katara's ear and whispered, "I love you. I will never let you go."

Katara felt her cheeks reddening and with a whisper she said, "Good, because I'm not going anywhere."

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It was hours after the ceremony and the party ended. Almost everyone in Republic City came to greet the newly weds a congratulations. Sokka went around boasting that his brother in law was none other than the last airbender; he probably had too much to drink. Everyone cheered happily into the evening. At last, everyone went home and the gang went back to their house outside of Republic City.

Jing didn't go with the gang, instead she stayed behind and went by the sea side of the city. She sat down on her dress and watched as the sun started to set. _I've done everything I needed to do. I now realize that my love for Aang was simply platonic. Now I have a new family here, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Katara, Zuko and even Mai was friendly with me during the party. I have done everything I need to do. _

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the airbender approaching her until he'd sat down next to her. "Aang? What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Katara? Wait did something happen to her? What-"

"Whoa slow down." He held up his hands. "I'm here because you're here. Besides, Katara and the others are with us right now," both turned around and saw their small group standing behind them. Aang drew a breath. "I know it's about time... For you to go I mean."

Jing nodded, tears dropping down her eyes. She didn't know how death was like. The first time around, she vaguely remembered having passed quietly. But her life a hundred years ago was all a blur. Now, facing certain death, the petite girl started to tremble with anxiousness. "Aang, I feel so scared."

"Shhh, don't be." Aang reached out and wrapped his arms around her shaking figure. "Everything will be alright, Jing. Come on, we can make it through anything remember?" Aang tried to make the situation more light hearted, but he knew the truth. Jing, his first real friend in the world, was going to leave him once more.

"Everything has changed, hasn't it?" Jing whispered softly as she watched the sun set even lower.

Aang placed his head atop of Jing's. "Of course everything has changed. It changed for the better, Jing. Everywhere you go, you make changes for the better. Remember when we met, you tried to make me feel better? All of our adventures in the Fire Nation, sure some of them were dangerous-" Jing gave a choked laugh at the memory. "But we pulled through. We'll do the same here and now. I promise, Jing, I won't let anything happen to you; I won't let you fall. You'll return to the spirit world soundlessly. Ok?"

Jing nodded, but didn't speak. They held each other in their arms, watching as the sun set even lower in the horizon. It was just like the times they used to spend atop the rooftops when they were children. Only instead, the view here was something else, more natural and more beautiful.

"Aang?" Jing whispered almost inaudibly.

"Jing?" _Oh spirits,_ Aang thought. _Please no. Just a little while longer, please_.

"It's time."

_I know, but I don't want it to be_. "No," he tightened his arms around her as if to keep the spirits from snatching her away from him. "Not yet. Jing you can't."

"Aang." The way she said his name made him look down at her. Already, he could sense Jing's soul leaving the young girl's body and moving on to the world unknown to the living. "Meet me on the rooftop tomorrow night, I'll be there. I'll always be there."

Suddenly the seventeen year old airbender felt younger and more vulnerable. He felt like the same little kid crying on the steps over a century ago. Only instead of a girl approaching him, she was leaving him. "Yeah, ok." His arms tightened around her as the sun's last rays shone.

"Aang, do you love me?"

Aang's heart clenched at the familiar question. He remembered hesitating, refusing to answer it. Unlike last time though, he didn't do any of those. He closed his eyes shut and nodded. "I love you, Jing." He whispered against her head.

He felt the body go limp against his own and instantly he knew. Jing was gone. He opened his eyes. The sun no longer shined down at the airbender. He carefully laid the sleeping girl down, her soul having returned when Jing left. Filled with grief, the airbender bent over and softly moaned in despair.

He heard distant voices, felt his new wife's arms wrapping themselves around him, guiding him to his feet. He consented to her help and once up, he faced the waters and drew a deep breath, calming his nerves. It took several minutes before he breathed regularly again

He turned to face the others. Suki and Mai were tending to the girl, who apparently just woke up from a seemingly long slumber. He walked towards the girl and kneeled.

"Avatar Aang?"

"Don't worry, you're safe. We're going to bring you home." He took the petite girl in his arms and carried her up. He walked ahead of the group towards where they'd left Appa. Everyone climbed aboard and together they returned to the home of the elderly woman.

Aang let the girl down to her feet before knocking the door. It was late out and Aang expected to knock several times before he got a reply. He was wrong. Before he even finished knocking, the door flew open revealing a weary old woman.

The old woman peered her eyes at the young girl, noticing her granddaughter had returned, she threw her arms around the girl and pulled her inside. The elderly lady faced the Avatar.

"Thank you, Avatar Aang, for restoring my family back together. Thank you."

Aang smiled as the old lady closed the door. Walking back to Appa, he suddenly felt happier._ I have everything I've ever wanted_, he thought as he climbed the bison'a shoulders and sat next to Katara. _Friends, family, and a new wife. Jing was right. Everything did change, but not only that, things were restored; friendships and relationships all for the better. _Aang looked into the horizon and thought about his past life and his present life. He smiled._ It was going to be alright. Everything will be alright._

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**Thank you for those who stuck around till the end! I appreciate it so much! Thanks especially for those who reviewed, I enjoy reading your comments. I'm currently writing a new story (not ATLA), still check it out when I post it! :)**


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